Sweet kisses from Russia
by Lovely Vero
Summary: On New Year's night, bored by his frivolous life, Klaus suggest to his brother, Elijah, to take the services of a Russian, on-line, marital agency, in hope of finding two women that would obey and serve them for life. KLAROLINE (Klaus & Caroline) & KALIJAH (Katherine & Elijah) - WARNING: MATURE SUBJECT.
1. Happy New Year!

**SWEET KISSES FROM RUSSIA**

Fan Fiction – Alternate Universe

Caroline & Klaus

Elijah & Katherine

From:** Lovely Vero**

* * *

Chapter 1

"**Happy New Year!****"**

* * *

_**Summary**_

The Dukes, Klaus Mikaelson and Elijah Mikaelson, are two Original vampires of the rich and famous families of London. Klaus, well known, worldwide, as the Jet Set life multi-millionaire, while collecting conquests, sport cars, and living day by day on the fast lane. Elijah, the less frivolous vampire of the two, with his grander appreciation of life including: music, arts, auctions, and literature, and to whom the joy of eternity summarize in a good game of poker with a glass of Brandy in one hand and a good Cuban cigar in the other.

On New Year's night, bored by his frivolous life, and the lack of good and available women in his life, Klaus suggest to Elijah to take the services of a Russian, on-line, marital agency, in hope of finding two women that would obey and serve them for life. Not entirely sold by the idea, Elijah refuses, firmly, his brother suggestion, before against his good judgment, finally accepting it. But after, both of them, choose the wife that would suit best, the other, an enormous misunderstanding occurred when the wrong woman is chosen for the wrong man.

I present to all of you … _**Sweet Kisses from Russia**_

* * *

_**11:50 p.m. - London – December 31**__**st**__**, 2012 **_

The shrill laughter of the French Countess Dubois, also called the new cherished child of the London Opera, resounded into Klaus's ears like a bad augury that the New Year would start on a sour note. He shook his head, while wincing contemptuously at the blonde bimbo, before wondering if his Original vampire brother, Elijah, was not in the right, after all, to pass his New Year's Eve with a cigar in the corner of his mouth, at a poker table, like a good pappy of one thousand years old. But, ultimately, Countess Dubois had more than an atrocious vibrant voice, her other qualities where more enjoyable to the sight, thought Klaus, while glancing at her deep cleavage, and her opulent chest.

"Oh Duke Mikaelson, you're such a joy …. A real joyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy… I love talking to you, and doing other naughty things of course." The Countess exclaimed, with even more panache than possible in her opera pitched voice, while blinking an eye, before stumbling, giggling, and almost dropping her crystal glass of champagne on the marble floor of the luxurious Dufort Manor, another Royal family of England. "I'm such a clumsy person!" She added, while grabbing Klaus's left forearm, in an attempt to get closer to his muscular body.

"Now what do I hear in the distance?" Klaus asked, while imitating her sinking voice, thinking that he should actually be deaf after passing so much time in the company of Susan Boyle's clone, before putting his right hand, shaped like a cone, near his ear. "Oh yes, I believe your husband is calling you, my dear Leonore."

"Oh, don't be silly, Duke Mikaelson." She responded, with hiccups in the voice. "I don't hear a thing."

"That is because you are deaf after passing so much time in you own company." He mumbled between his teeth, in a low murmur, while rolling his eyes, grabbing her left forearm, pulling her at his side, before taking his first walking steps away from the open terrace.

"What did you just say, Duke…Mi … Mi … Mi ….." The Countess started to sank atrociously in his ears, drunk as much as a human being can be, before continuing. "Fa – Fa – Fa - La – Sol – La - Ti …."

"Do!" Klaus finished the last note, firmly, to reduce the time of his suffering, while wincing at her horrible voice, before leading her to a narrow corridor. "Now, your husband is calling dear, you should find him."

"You think?" The countess asked, with wide opened eyes, while gulping her empty glass. "There's no more champagne in my glass, I think I will cry and scream!"

"NO!" Klaus exclaimed, while taking the empty glasses from her hand, placing it in top of a silver tray from one of a passing waiter, before grabbing a full one. "Here my dear, you're all set. Now, run along my child, your husband is calling."

"Ok, then …" She responded, while pouting and taking unsteady steps toward the corridor that lead her to the ballroom. "Will I see you later to welcome the New Year, Duke Mikaelson? Maybe we could kiss under the stars?" She asked Klaus, while tilting her head.

"Now, that wouldn't be nice for your husband, would it, sweetheart?" Klaus smirked, while pointing a finger in direction of the corridor, toward the loud noise and music.

"Since when do you care about my husband's feelings? He's old and impotent in bed! You're hot and a stallion!" The countess asked and informed, while giggling.

"Am I?" He asked, without being able to avoid a smirk of satisfaction on his lips, before adding. "Well, I care since I've decided to take new resolutions in my life, with this upcoming New Year upon us, my dear." Klaus smirked along this sentence, while putting a hand in her back, before pushing her toward the corridor. "Now, move, move, toward your husband you go!"

"Tata mon chéri, ce n'est qu'un orevoir ..." She shouted to Klaus, in French, while waving her right gloved hand to him.

"Tata … "Adieu" … "Adios"…. and farewell!" Klaus exclaimed, while lowering his forehead on the wall, appreciating the cold effect of the tiles on his skin. She had finally left him! His other choice would have been to compel her to leave, or literally draining every drop of blood from her veins.

He was getting too old for this "Casanova" seduction routine, he thought to himself, while sighing loudly, his eyes closed, before hearing the exclamations that were coming to him from the ballroom:

**10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ….. HAPPY NEW YEAR! **

**Should auld acquaintance be forgot,**  
**And never brought to mind?**  
**Should auld acquaintance be forgot,**  
**And auld lang syne!**

**Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,**

**For auld lang syne.**  
**We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,**  
**For auld lang syne.**

Klaus turned his body around, while wincing and frowning in disgust, leaning his back and head on the wall, before closing his eyes again. He hated that New Year song, and those humans and their weird ways of never understanding that each New Year would bring a perfect replicate of the previous one, with in addition, its own mistakes, pains and sorrows. We were meant to be inevitably alone, and suffer every single second of our life, and being a vampire only made him remember the one thousand years of sufferance behind him, and the eternity of torture ahead.

"Would you care for a glass of champagne, Sir? I believe the New Years just rang its bells." A waiter asked him, with a big spotless smile, while showing his silver tray.

Klaus glanced at the young man, before grabbing the entire bottle of champagne from the tray. He needed to kill someone before completely loosing it, and this braggart would be perfect.

"Sir, I need this bottle!" The server objected.

"Sir, what? Do you even know to whom you're talking to?" Klaus asked him, while pointing a finger at the young man.

"Duke Mikaelson, I was not meaning any disrespect by this … but …" The young man replied, while blushing and stumbling on his two feet.

Klaus narrowed his sight maliciously at the young man, while smirking, before approaching his standing position.

"Tell me, young man, what are your wishes for the New Year? You should think long and hard about your answers, because, to this point and time, it is a life and death situation." He asked, before turning on himself, and slowly changing into his vampire morphology.

"Oh Sir, I don't know, I mean, whatever life will bring my way, I guess. I don't have any wishes, I'm a lost soul, an empty shell, and just surviving the year would be enough for me. Each year bring its load of sadness I guess." The young man responded in a trembling voice.

Klaus shook his head, wincing, and growling loudly, before returning to his human appearance, and turning on himself to face the waiter.

"Do you realize that you just saved your own pathetic human life by answering this way; I was actually going to drink every ounce of blood out of you!" Klaus said, sadistically.

The young waiter startled at his remark, before taking a few walking steps backward, and thinking that this rich man surely had too much too drink.

"My apologies, Duke Mikaelson, I need to go serve the other guests, now, if you would be kind enough to excuse me." He mumbled nervously to Klaus.

"Then go! Leave, before I change my mind!" Klaus snapped at him, with anger, while seeing the young man running toward the ballroom.

Klaus opened the bottle of champagne, before taking large gulps of the bubbly alcohol, while pulling on his bow tie and throwing the piece of fabric on the marble floor, directing his walking steps toward the opened terrace. Oddly enough no one was present to watch the midnight firework in front of the Big Ben clock of London, the aristocrats of this party were too blasé to even take the time to enjoy this luminous fire effects in the sky. Klaus raised his head to look at the bright lights in the skin, before howling in anger from the top of his lungs, and crashing the bottle of champagne on the pavement.

* * *

_**Moscow – Slum quarters – 6:00 a.m. – New Year's day**_

Katerina Petrova climbed the stairs to reach the ninth floor of her chambers. She and her sister, Carolina, were leaving in this small one room apartment until finally obtaining the opportunity to leave this dumb and Russia all together.

"Happy New Year, Katerina." The gorgeous Russian brunette heard her old neighbour, Ingrid, say to her, while passing her head, carefully, under her own arch door. "You worked late, again, and on a New Year's eve, nonetheless."

"Is it New Year?" Katerina shrugged her shoulders, while dragging one's feet toward her own door and turning her head to glance at Ingrid, before entering the key in the lock. "Another shitty year that is starting, aren't we lucky!" She added, slyly, to the neighbour, before smiling timidly and adding. "Yes, there was more work at the manufactory. Happy New Year, Ingrid, may God be with you, may God be with all of us."

"Thank you, my child." The old lady responded, before adding. "You look tired, both you and your sister are working too hard."

"If we want to keep this palace over our heads, we have no other choice. " Katerina responded, while turning the key, before showing with a hand gesture the flaking of the paint and mildew on the corridor walls, of the old building.

"We had another cut of electricity during the night." Ingrid added, with despair.

"That is nothing new, is it?" Katerina shrugged more, while bundling up in her winter coat. "I guess I'll sleep with my coat on, once more, for a couple of hours. And we'll need to open the stove to reheat the apartment."

"Did you receive any news from the marital agency?" Ingrid added, in a low whisper.

Katerina sighed loudly, while shaking her head.

"No, not yet, if I could at least place Carolina with a good man somewhere in the world, my job would be done as her guardian." She explained to her neighbour, before closing her eyes.

"And you, Katerina? What will happen to you?" Ingrid asked, while tilting her head in sadness.

"I'm getting too old; no man would want or need a thirty years old woman as a wife, and in his bed." Katerina murmured, while sighing, and rolling her eyes.

"But you're sending your little one toward that faith?" Ingrid mumbled, while shaking her head in disbelief.

"I'll send my sister toward a chance of getting out of this country, fight poverty and find freedom." Katherine replied, angrily, while closing her fists. "She'll learn how to satisfy this man in more ways than one, to have money in return."

"Poverty is everywhere in the world my child, it doesn't mean that you need to loose your respect, and send your own sister to prostitution. Katerina, listen to me, you'll send Carolina toward a life filled with sadness and obligation toward a man that she won't love." Ingrid replied, before adding with a sadder tone of voice. "Don't think that I don't know how you manage with the supplement of income, I saw the men that are bringing you back to the apartment, sometimes, late in the nights."

"It's not of your damn business old woman." Katerina replied, while raising her chin, with tears filling her eyes.

"My child, you're worth more than being an escort!" Ingrid added. "You're a beautiful and intelligent woman, Katerina."

"I'm a poor Russian woman that needs to do what is necessary to put bread on our table." Katerina replied, while crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"But those men are taking advantage of your poor situation, they are pigs!" Ingrid exclaimed.

"Aren't they all?" They heard a feminine Russian voice replied, before turning their heads toward Carolina.

"What are you doing up in this late hour, sister?" Katerina exclaimed, in surprise.

"I went out." Carolina replied, enthusiastically, while showing several Russian ruble in front of her older sister, Katerina. "Look I made quite a lot of money and I also bought a bottle of champagne for us to celebrate the New Year." She added, with a big smile on her face.

Katerina approached her sister's standing position, before grabbing her left forearm forcefully and bringing her toward their apartment.

"What did you do?" She exclaimed, in anger. "What did you do, Carolina?"

"I did nothing, let go of me! I only had a good time with foreign tourists, and they paid me for it." She responded, to her sister, proud of her achievement.

"Enter inside the apartment!" Katerina ordered her younger sister, while pushing Carolina inside, before lowering her forehead on the arch.

"I've warned you, Katerina, that She'd follow your foot steps soon enough." Ingrid said, while shaking her head in disbelief, before closing the door of her apartment on a speechless Katerina.

* * *

_**London – Mikaelson's Manor – 1:00 a.m., New Year's Day **_

The shrill noise of the entrance door hitting its arch loudly, startled Elijah, who was sipping a late glass of Brandy, his nose buried into a poetry book in the master study room, while comfortably sitting in a leather arm chair placed in front of the burning woods in the fire mantle.

Klaus stumbled into several furniture placed in his drunken walking path, into the corridor, while swearing to all the devils, before pushing, open, the door of the study.

"Brother, I'm home!" He exclaimed, sarcastically, while rising in the air, a bottle of Bourdon that he was holding in his right hand, before gulping some more. "Happy, fucking, New Year, Mate!"

Elijah glanced rapidly at Klaus, before getting back to his book.

"You're back so soon in the night, Niklaus?" He replied politely. "And drunk in addition to be your annoying self as always."

Klaus stumbled on the desk, before finally finding his way toward an arm chair placed in front of Elijah's sitting position, while finally taking his own.

"I'm bored, Elijah, I need to change my life. I'm not even a decent vampire anymore." Klaus mumbled, angrily between his teeth.

Elijah raised his sight, before closing his book on his legs, and joining his hands together to glance at his brother.

"Ok, Niklaus, I'll bite for this time, to this amazing performance of yours. What happened in your frivolous life that is making you reconsider your entire eternal existence?" Elijah asked him, while smirking.

"There's nothing more to see or to learn." Klaus mumbled, while staring at the amber liquid in the bottle.

"So, what was the name of your latest conquest this time?" Eljah asked, sarcastically.

"She had no name and that is the point, no woman in the world is even able to capture my attention." Klaus responded, while shrugging his shoulders. "We are left with our pathetic life, eternally alone, while watching the years, decades and centuries passing in front of our eyes, and while being the most feared creatures, how pathetic is that, Elijah?"

Elijah shrugged his shoulders, while sighing, and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Humanity is always expanding in its culture, Klaus. It's you who is too close minded to even see it." He replied.

"Tell me something, Elijah." Klaus asked, while pointing a finger below Elijah's pants invisible belt line. "Does your little friend have the urge to discover the world sometimes? Aren't you bored with your books and games of poker?"

"Did you just call me out on my sex life, Klaus?" Elijah asked, while tilting his head, in astonishment.

"Yes, I believe, I've just called you out on your sex life, mate." Klaus reaffirmed. "…Which, at this present moment, lets be frank, is none existent!"

"I beg your pardon!" Elijah replied, while gesturing with his hands. "We can't all be known as the next Casanova of London, Niklaus, I have a certain class attached to my name."

"Yap, a certain class named: BORING!" Klaus replied, while rolling his eyes.

"I have enough of your pity party, for this New Year's night, Klaus." Elijah replied, with anger, to his brother, while grabbing the book on his knees, and getting back to his reading.

Klaus stared at his brother for a few seconds, before smirking and counting the seconds before Elijah's burst of rage: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 …

"And so you will know..." Elijah got back into the conversation, while throwing the book on a near side table, before rising on his two legs. "I have a perfect, healthy, normal sex life. The Countess Gilbert and I, we were in a good relationship for more than a year."

"Oh for Good sake, Elijah, the Countess Elena Gilbert was a marble statue on two legs!" Klaus exclaimed, while rising in a standing position as well. "She had one facial expression coming out of her. I'm not even sure that she was able to scream her pleasure in the actual sexual act.

"Now, you're crossing a line, Niklaus." Elijah warned, angrily. "I demand an apology from your part."

"Well, maybe you should cross one line for once in your life, brother." Klaus replied, with his hands place on each side of his waist. "And screw the apology, this was the truth. We're literally old and alone, placed in the middle of humanity that is falling to his hell. Grant me a free pass, Elijah, for wanting more than this shit of a life that I've been living since centuries."

Elijah lowered his head, while sliding his hands in his pants pockets, and approaching the fire mantle, his sight lost in the flames.

"You're maturing, Niklaus. Life can't stay as linear as you want it to be. Being eternal or not, it doesn't change a thing." Elijah mumbled, between his teeth.

"Then, God as my witness, our loneliness should end as well as our eternal life." Klaus responded, angrily, before storming out of the study room.

* * *

"What did you do?" Katerina asked his sister, while closing the door of their apartment behind her.

"Don't be mad, but, I've joined the escort agency. They had foreign customers for me tonight and I was able to make a good amount of money, and bring a bottle of champagne for us to celebrate the New Year." Carolina responded proud of herself, while smiling and showing the bottle to her sister.

"Are you crazy, Carolina?" Katerina exploded, while grabbing the bottle from her sister's hands. "What were you thinking for God sake? I am working my ass off to find a way to get you out of this miserable life, and yet you want it more?"

"Don't be mad, Katerina. I only did what I thought was best. I wanted to do something for you for a change." Carolina replied, while rubbing her hands nervously.

"Look at you!" Katerina exclaimed, while pointing the short skirt that her young sister was wearing. "You're dressed like a whore! It's freezing outside. Did one of those men touch you?"

"No, nobody touched me, I swear." Carolina replied, while shaking her head.

"And it has to stay that way, you were lucky enough that none of them wanted to sleep with you." Katerina replied, while removing her coat, and turning on the burners of the stove.

"I'm still a virgin!" Caroline replied, while lowering her head, in shame.

"Good! And it has to stay that way." Katerina replied, while approaching her sister, and holding Carolina's face in her hands. "You need to stay pure and perfect for your future husband. We'll find you a good man that will take care of you for a long time, ok?"

Carolina frowned, but finally agreed to her sister's saying by nodding her head.

"Ok, Katerina…" She replied, while promising herself in silence, to never being stuck in a loveless marriage.

"Good." Katerina replied, while smiling timidly to her sister, and grabbing the bottle in her hands. "Now, what would you say if we open this bottle of champagne for breakfast?"

"Happy New Year, Katerina, I love you so much." Carolina murmured, while taking her older sister in her arms.

"Happy New Year, Carolina, my baby." Katerina whispered, while caressing her sister's hair, and feeling tears rolling on her cheeks.

* * *

Klaus entered his master suite bedroom, before closing the door behind him, with a firm kick of his right feet on its wood, while directing his walking steps toward his desk. He sat on his desk chair, while elevating his feet on its desktop, before slowly scrolling the New Year's wishes received in his mailbox.

"Happy New Year old Klausy, Signed: Kol." Klaus said out loud, while smirking. "Well, here's one who's faithful to his jerkiness." Klaus continued scrolling. "Now, I will only wish you a Happy New Year if you promise to stay out of my love life, signed: Rebekah." Klaus read some more, before smirking and adding. "That will be over my dead ashes, little sister!"

He closed his eyes for a short moment, while passing a hand over his face, and sighing loudly, turning his attention back to his laptop screen, while frowning.

"Russian Marital agency: Find the most beautiful Russian women to please all your desire." Klaus read, before lowering his feet on the carpet floor of his bedroom. "What do we have here?" He smirked, while clicking on the link.

* * *

"Elijah!" Klaus called, from the top of his lungs, before pushing the door, and entering the study room, while holding his laptop in his hands.

"Should I even ask?" Elijah replied, while keeping his eyes in his book.

"Look?" Klaus said, while pulling the book away from his hands, and placing the laptop on his brother lap instead.

"What now, Niklaus?" Elijah asked, while taking a quick glance at the screen.

"See, this is the answer to all of our problems!" Klaus said proudly, while smirking.

Elijah raised his eyes to quickly take a look at his brother, before sighing loudly, and returning his attention to the screen.

"Russian Marital Agency: Find the most beautiful Russian women to please all your desire." Elijah read, while shrugging his shoulders. "…And?"

Klaus smirked some more, while nodding his head.

"Did you lose your mind, Niklaus!" Elijah exclaimed, in shock, while handing the laptop back to his brother, and rising, once again, on his feet. "The answer is: No!"

"Why?" Klaus asked, dumfounded. "We're rich, we can buy for ourselves two wives … No, pardon this misspell, Elijah, I meant two sexy, as hell, Russian wives that will obey us."

"No, let me rephrase: You have lost your mind." Elijah replied, while shaking his head, both of his hands placed on each side of his waist. "This is nothing more than camouflage prostitution."

"See, and in top of everything, they will be experimented in bed! It's a win-win!" Klaus exclaimed more, shameless.

"It's still no!" Elijah mumbled angrily between his teeth, while directing his furious walking steps toward the exit of the study room.

"Oh come on, Elijah!" Klaus shouted, behind his back, while trying to retain him.

"No!" Elijah screamed one last time, before slamming the door behind him.

"Ok, fair enough, brother. Go sleep on it." Klaus murmured, with a devious smile. "I'm sure you'll get around the idea sooner than later."

* * *

Yes, I know I am a stupid fool to have started this fiction when I specifically said to myself that I would not be stuck with three fictions at the same time, EVER AGAIN…. But, fool I am, fool I will stay for life, apparently.

Love you all so much, and thank you for following me and my fictions.

Important writer's note: Hey guys, I wanted to say after receiving a review and exchanging with a member, that this story is, first and most, A FICTION. This said, that means that it is coming from my imagination - And there is no need to take it so literally. DO NOT MIX the two as my fiction being a real portray of the country of Russia, that is absolutely not the case, I only wanted to be clear on that subject. Thank you!

Lovely Vero


	2. The first meetings

**SWEET KISSES FROM RUSSIA**

Fan Fiction – Alternate Universe

Caroline & Klaus

Elijah & Katherine

From:** Lovely Vero**

* * *

Chapter 2

"**The first meetings****"**

* * *

_**Moscow – One of the matrimonial agencies - Arcadia**_

"_Katerina, you're making me nervous." Carolina told her sister, while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat._

_They had been ask to wait in this small office of the Arcadia Matrimonial Agency, downtown Moscow, and Katerina was walking back and forth in front of Carolina's sitting position. _

"_I can't help it." Katerina responded, while biting her nails nervously, before passing a hand through her long, curly, brown hair. "They call! That can only mean that they have a potential husband for you." _

"_We have no idea why they call us here? Maybe it is just to fill other papers?" Carolina replied to Katerina, while rubbing her hands nervously together. _

"_We have filled hundred of stupid papers already." She responded, before sitting on a chair beside her sister. "No, this is it, Carolina. I can feel it in my guts. This is it, you've been chosen." Katerina responded, while smiling, turning on her seat to face her sister and grabbing both of Carolina's arms. _

_Carolina smiled timidly back to her sister, while hoping for the contrary upcoming, scenario. This all Russian Matrimonial thing had been the idea of Katerina from the start. Her sister wanted a better path for Carolina, away from Russia and the remaining of their, hard, day to day, life. But, the younger sister was not entirely sold with the idea of giving her life, body and soul, to a stranger, with the addition of losing her sister forever. She was so not sold with her sister's idea, that she had a plan to run away, if necessary, to avoid leaving in a foreign country, with a stranger, that would become her husband for life. _

"_I don't want to loose you." Carolina whispered, while drowning her teary eyes in her sisters'._

"_Carolina, listen to me… You won't loose me….We'll…" Katerina started explaining to her sister, before lowering her head and sight away from the piercing gaze of her sister. "We'll write to each other, we'll talk to each other on the phone, we'll find a way to keep in touch, in spite of the distance." She added, while holding her sister's hands in hers. _

"_But it's not the same as seeing you every day, Katerina." Carolina replied, while closing her eyes. _

"_Look at me, sister." Katerina started explaining, while raising Carolina's chin in her right hand. "You can't blow this chance into million of pieces, you need to embrace the chance life will give you at this new start." _

_The office door opened widely, while letting in under its arch, a very tall, thin, middle age woman, who pushed it close a second later, directing her high heels black shoes toward the other side of the desk, while carrying a file, before throwing it open on the desktop and taking in her hands a match to light her golden cigarette holder. _

_Katerina kept her sight glued to each of her movement, while squeezing Carolina's hands in hers._

"_So?" She asked, while sitting on the edge of her chair. "Does my sister have a man interested in marrying her?" _

_The thin and cantankerous woman raised her cold sight in the one of Katerina, before taking a puff of her cigarette holder._

"_Yes." She simply replied, after a long while._

"_Are you sure?" Katerina asked again, while turning her body and sight toward her sister, who had lost all her colours._

"_Yes." The woman added once again._

_Katerina raised on her feet from her sitting position, before pacing back and forth in the small office. _

"_What are the next steps? What is Carolina supposed to do now? Write to him? Phone him? How does it work?" She asked, in all nervousness._

"_Katerina, please … Listen, maybe we should talk about this, and take a step back before deciding anything." Carolina tried to plead to her older sister._

"_There is nothing to talk about, Carolina this is your big break." Katerina replied, while approaching her sister sitting position and caressing her hair. _

"_Actually it's both your big brakes." The agency woman responded, while smoking her cigarette slowly, before resting her back on the leather office chair._

"_What?" Both Petrova's sisters replied simultaneously, and in astonishment. _

"_What do you mean it's both our big brakes?" Katerina asked once more, while resuming her sitting position. _

_The emotionless lady took the file back in her hands, while looking, attentively, at several pages._

"_The file says that the applicants are two, wealthy, English brothers who apparently have chosen both of you." The lady informed them more. _

"_Are these two English men from America?" Katerina demanded, with a mouth open expression plastered on her face._

"_No, they are from Britain." The lady responded, while shaking her cigarette holder near the crystal ashtray. _

"_Oh my God … Katerina, you'll leave with me!" Carolina exclaimed, in joy, her left hand placed over her chest, while grabbing the hand of her sister and feeling tears rolling on her cheeks. _

"_It can't be." The said one replied, still in shock, while shaking her head. "Are you sure one of them has chosen me also?" _

"_Yes." The lady replied. "And they are willing to even triple the amount of the package fair to have you as their wives as soon as possible." _

"_You've said that they were wealthy, who are they?" Katerina demanded to know._

"_Certainly not the kind of men that we've seen makes those applications in this agency before." The lady responded, while rolling her eyes. _

"_What do you mean?" Carolina asked._

"_They are Dukes." The agency lady replied. _

"_What do you mean Dukes?" Katerina exclaimed, more shocked than ever._

"_I meant it as literal as possible. They are from the royal family of Britain." The lady replied, while shaking her head, herself surprised. _

"_What do you mean Royalty?" Katerina repeated, while drowning her sight in the emptiness of the room, before adding, while once more getting up on her two legs. "But, it makes no sense, why would they need the services of this trashy agency to find a set of wives from Russia; they have the opportunities to meet those fancy ladies in every balls or parties they'll go." She added, while gesturing nervously with her hands and arms. "If they think that we'll be available for their sick sexual fantasies of the moment, they'll have me to show them otherwise!"_

_The lady raised an eyebrow at her remarks, while coughing, before crashing the last remaining of her cigarette in the ashtray. _

"_No disrespect intended about the agency." Katerina added, while blushing, before crossing her arms in front of her chest and shrugging her shoulders. _

"_We are not here to question the motifs of our wealthy clients, you shouldn't either, or you wouldn't have offered your names as candidates for a foreign marriage." The lady responded, slyly. "As for their sexual fantasies, it's also none of the agency's business. They have enrolled in this agency for legitimately marry two women at the end of this process. This said they are exactly like any other applicants. If you are not interested anymore, you need to tell me now?"_

_Katerina sighed loudly, before retaking her sitting position on the chair, and calm herself down._

"_Will we live near from each other … I mean, me and my sister?" She demanded, with a shaking voice. _

"_You'll be staying, both of you, at the same residence, with your two prospect husbands." The agency lady replied, before adding. "All this information will be giving, to each of you, in due time, and by writing in your contracts." _

"_What … What is the next step?" Carolina asked, with a shaking voice._

"_You'll be asked to communicate with your future husband for the first time, in a private room of the agency." The lady replied._

"_Phone?" Carolina asked more._

"_We are in the modern time." The lady replied, with little patience left in her. "Therefore, you'll be in communication via a webcam and a laptop." _

"_I'm sorry, I should have known…" Carolina replied, while blushing and lowering her head. _

"_Unfortunately for us, we don't have the chance to enjoy the technology of our modern time." Katerina responded, tit for tat, while raising her chin as a confrontational gesture. "Or we wouldn't offer our services as wives to perfect strangers."_

"_Well, that won't be your problem anymore, if you accept this marriage proposal, you'll have the wealthiest that you always desired." The lady replied, while titling her head, before adding. "So, do we have a deal?" _

_Katerina turned her head toward her sister at the same time Carolina turned hers, before timidly smiling to each other._

* * *

"_Klaus!" Elijah shouted several times through the quietness of the mansion's corridors, while walking rapidly from door to door, with his hands placed on each side of his waist, bothered and angry by the obvious absence of his brother. "Damn you!" He added, while turning on his heels to come back to his private office, before slamming the door on its arch, in a loud noise, and walking to reach his desk. "You find a way to make me give a try at this ludicrous idea of marriage with a foreign woman, and then you are missing your first webcam meeting with your own, soon to be, wife." He growled a little more. _

_Elijah sat in his luxurious leather desk chair, while opening the screen of his laptop, the webcam, the high-tech speakers, before rubbing his chin in a mix of angriness and nervousness._

"_What am I supposed to say to that poor – innocent girl now?" Elijah mumbled, angrily, once more. _

_The deal was for Elijah to choose Klaus's future wife and for Klaus to choose Elijah's, while trying to keep true to their taste in women._

_The screen opened on its welcome screen, asking for its private password, Elijah opened the internet explorer before reading the instructions to make the connection with the Russian agency, while using a private applicant number, before seeing a private message appearing in front of his eyes in flashing red letters._

_Mr. __**Klaus Mikaelson**__, your private session in our luxurious lounge _

_With:_

_Miss __**Katerina Petrova**_

_Starts in 30 seconds_

_29_

_28_

_27_

…

"_Damn you Niklaus!" Elijah mumbled, between his teeth, while passing a quick, nervous hand through his perfect styled hair, before lowering his head in his hands, while sighing loudly, and closing his eyes to calm himself down._

"_Klaus Mikaelson?" He heard a feminine voice, with a strong Russian accent, addressed itself to him in perfect English. _

_Elijah slowly raised his head, before drowning his eyes in the ones of the magnificent brunette that was standing in front of his sight. Yes, he had chosen that specific woman for his brother, and had seen her picture through the hundred that he had to look at on the Agency site, but she was without a single doubt in his mind, even more beautiful then expected._

"_I'm Katerina Petrova." She added, in a neutral tone of voice, while raising her chin, and keeping her sight on Elijah's visual image on her screen. "You're …. The man named Klaus?" _

_Elijah narrowed his sight at her, while lowering himself on the back of his office chair, before opening the button of his Armani suit jacket, taking completely aback by the majestic aura of that woman. _

"_Actually, I apologize for …. "He started explaining, before being cut in the middle of his sentence. _

"_You're old." She suddenly said, while frowning and raising an eyebrow at him. _

"_I beg your pardon?" Elijah replied in shock, while approaching his laptop screen. _

_The young woman was sitting in a private closed lounge room, in a comfortable velvet armchair placed in front of a desktop. She was wearing a green turtleneck sweater, that was accentuating her fit figure and the roundness of her breasts, Elijah couldn't do without noticing._

"_Well, you seem to be older than I thought you would be." Katerina replied, while shrugging her shoulders. _

"_And that is bothering you?" Elijah replied to the Russian woman, with a smirk on his lips._

"_I'm not very young myself, so who am I to be bothered by your age." She shrugged more, before adding in a blunt way. "I'm surprised that you could be interested by me, and not a younger woman?" _

_Elijah smiled more, before lowering his upper body on the back of his leather chair, his chin placed in his right hand._

"_You're not even thirty." He replied, while keeping his sight in hers._

"_I'll be thirty in two months." She replied, while staying emotionless. "You're older, aren't you?" She couldn't retain the question._

"_You could say that…" Elijah replied, amused. "But not much older than you…And you thought that I would be interested in a sugar daddy relationship with my future, much younger, wife, perhaps? Not my style, I like to be equal to my partner." He asked her, as blunt._

"_The thought crossed my mind." She replied. "It's the all suit thing that is aging you." She added, while pointing a finger at his clothes. "And your hair is styled in a way that is making you look older too." She added._

"_Anything else you want to add to the list?" He asked, while raising an eyebrow, and crossing his arms in front of his chest. _

"_Not at the present moment, thank you." She replied to him, while straightening her upper body on the chair. "At least you're not as old and as ugly that I thought you would be." She added, with a long sigh._

"_You've imagined that I was ugly, old, and what else?" Elijah requested, amused._

"_Impotent…" She added, still as blunt as ever._

_Elijah lowered his head backward before bursting into loud laughter._

"_Oh … Delightful Katerina…" He started, while returning his attention on the screen. "I can assure you that I am everything but impotent." He replied to her, with a big smile plastered on his lips._

"_Well, a woman needs to know those personal things." She replied to him, while blushing for the first time since the beginning of this virtual meeting._

"_So, you think that the sexual part of a marriage is very important then?" Elijah asked more._

"_Don't you?" She said, tit for tat._

"_It's me who've asked the question." Elijah replied once more, with a smirk plastered on his face._

"_If the marriage is faked so can be the sex … If the marriage is real so can be the sex." She explained, while shrugging her shoulders more._

"_You think that our marriage will be counterfeit?" He demanded._

"_I don't know the meaning of the last English word?" She said, honestly._

"_Fake?" He added._

"_I don't know…I don't know you." She replied honestly. _

"_I don't know you either." Elijah replied, while smirking even more._

"_I think that if we don't play the amorous couple, or being hypocritical about this relationship. We could find a good agreement." She replied, honestly, while raising her chin in the air._

"_You always go right to the point, don't you?" Elijah said to the brunette. _

"_Isn't it the point of this meeting finalizing the agreement?" She asked in her blunt way. _

"_Indeed." Elijah replied._

"_If you are not too bad to me, and threat me with respect, I could probably sleep with you in the future." She added. "Isn't it what you are concerned about?" _

"_Well, I'm happy to hear that." Elijah responded, before bursting into laughter one more time, before adding. "Katerina, I am not concerned the least about that." _

"_Why?" She asked, curious._

"_Because, I always get what I want." He informed her, while making Katerina startled on her chair._

"_Why me?" She asked more._

"_Why not?" He responded._

"_You are rich … You could have a lot of women." She stipulated. "Younger women…" She added more, with a smirk._

"_None of them would be able to have this verbal joust with me at the moment." He smirked, while making her smile. "I'm easily bored…Called it the age." He mocked her more. _

_A beep sound was suddenly heard with a message appearing on their respective screen:_

_This present session will close itself in:_

_60 seconds_

_59…_

_58…_

_57…_

"_You need to inform the agency if I am not what you are looking for." Katerina informed, while swallowing a lump of nervousness in her throat. _

"_What makes you think that you are not what I'm looking for?" Elijah asked her. _

"_I could be easy on the eyes, but I am hard to handle." She responded, frankly._

"_So am I." Elijah replied, tit for tat, while making her smile for the second time._

_22…_

_21…_

_20…._

"_I'm …." She started asking, before taking a small pause, and finally demanding. "I'm curious, is your brother Elijah a good man?" _

_Elijah raised his sight in hers, in surprise. In a life coincidence, Elijah knew that they, him and his brother, had chosen sisters._

"_You're afraid for the faith of your sister? Aren't you?" He asked, bluntly for once._

"_Yes." She replied, honestly._

"_He's a good man." He responded._

_9…_

_8…_

_7…_

"_Katerina?" He called her._

"_Yes?" She replied._

"_It's you that I want." He finally said._

_2…_

_1…_

_0_

* * *

_Carolina turned the key into the lock of the private lounge, before lowering her forehead on the door, closing her eyes and sighing loudly. _

"_You need to be strong, Carolina, be strong!" She murmured on her lips, before raising her head and walking into the private internet lounge. _

_The room was luxurious and welcoming for its purpose: an L-shape leather sofa, with fluffy pillows aligned together, in all shapes and colour, a low coffee table with several foreign fashion magazines, a tray with an assortment of beverages, a mahogany wood desk with a velvet arm chair in front of a laptop placed on its desktop. _

_She closed the switch of the ceiling lamp, before slowly approaching the roller blind of the only window, closing them on the last sunlight of this Moscow winter day. Then she opened a small lamp placed on the desk, near the laptop, lowering her handbag on the blue carpet, while getting rid of her boots, and winter coat. _

_Carolina was wearing a crossover white wool sweater dress, with her blond hair cascading freely on her shoulders, and only a trace of a light pink lipstick on her lips. She looked at the only jewellery she owned, her mother's watch, while noticing that she had ten more minutes left before the showdown. _

_What her mother would have thought of those arranged marriages? Carolina thought to herself while closing her eyes and feeling tears filling her eyelids. _

_She knew basically nothing about the man who wanted to marry her, except that his name was Elijah Mikaelson … Duke Elijah Mikaelson._

_The laptop screen suddenly light up with flashy numbers of a countdown: ten more minutes. _

_Carolina sat in front of the screen, while rubbing her hands together in all nervousness. _

_She had no idea what to do or what to expect? But she knew that this was like a verbal contract between herself and a man that desired her in his life as a wife, and more so, a woman in his bed!_

_ooOoo_

"_Elijah!" Klaus shouted into the main parlour of the Manor, while opening the French doors widely, before scattering all the downstairs rooms, climbing on the second level and not finding a single trace of his older brother. "Damn it where are you brother?" Klaus screamed more, before growling his frustration and adding on a lower note to himself. "I mixed up the hours for both meetings!" He added, while shaking his head, in despair. _

_First, he had missed the first chance of being able to meet the woman Elijah had pick for him, secondly, he would now need to log in to the agency site to talk to the one that he had picked for his brother. He rolled his eyes, before reaching the private quarter of his suite, walking toward his desk, and opening his laptop. _

_The connection was made easily; he could see clearly the message flashing in front of his eyes._

_Mr. __**Elijah Mikaelson**__, your private session in our luxurious lounge _

_With:_

_Miss __**Carolina Petrova**_

_Starts in 30 seconds_

_29_

_28_

_27_

…

_If he would think about it, while smirking and lowering his head on the back of his office chair, with both of his hands crossed behind his head, and his legs and leather biker boots elevated on the desktop, he could easily pretend that he was his brother, for this time only, of course…Now, why did he not think of it sooner? That could even be fun? _

_**You're connected**_

"_I'm Carolina Petrova…" He heard a harmonious feminine accented voice addressed itself to him while suddenly raising his sight in the one of the beautiful blonde on his laptop screen._

"_I was not expecting anyone else, Love." He responded, with a sarcastic smile on his lips. "I'm K…Elijah." He added, while letting his wandering sight slide on her silky, long, blonde hair, the delicateness of her neck, where he could easily see the pumping blue vein on its right side._

"_I know who you are. I was not expecting my prince charming." She replied slyly, while making him loose his smile._

"_My … My … You are certainly a sharp tongue." He responded, while raising an eyebrow._

"_And you are certainly not well educated. My mother always told me that it was impolite for a man to put his feet on a table." She added, with a vicious smile "Are you an impolite man, Mister Elijah, or simply a rich one?" _

"_It's a desktop, Love." Klaus responded, tit for tat, with a smirk on his lips, while being literally hypnotized by her presence and audacity. "And it's my home; therefore I do what I please. Do you want me to be impolite with you? Are you into role playing games, beautiful Carolina?"_

"_Are you always trying to find a way to argue?" She asked him, before raising a questioning eyebrow to him as well, while noticing his younger age, than expected. "Or is it that you always want to be right in every argument that you're having with a woman?" She asked more, while crossing her arms in front of her deep cleavage, where his sight was now travelling, before noticing that he had dark blonde, curly hair, and piercing blue eyes. "The question for me is more: Are you into role playing games, Mister Elijah?"_

_Klaus lowered his feet and legs on the floor, before frowning and narrowing his sight on the young woman that was sitting in an armchair, her fiery sight on him. She literally wanted to fight with him – Him, Klaus Mikealson!_

"_I'm always interested at playing games…I love the thrill of being the hunter tracking his prey, but, not at the present moment, sweetheart." He responded, with a malicious smile curving his lips. A fight she wanted, a fight she would have! "I just want to check the merchandise that is offered to me by the agency, before buying it of course." _

_Carolina startled on her chair, while biting her bottom lips. He was a wicked, disturbed man, exactly like she had been expected that he would be. Who would take a perfect stranger as a wife, except if the said man would have ugly, low, and despicable instincts to fill? He older sister, Katerina, would not back down of this chance of leaving their country, but Carolina would promise herself that this man would never put a hand on her, she would find a way to escape or die if necessary, before that would happen…But, for the time being she needed to play his sick game. _

"_You want to verify the merchandise?" She repeated, while raising her chin in a confrontational manner. If he thought that he could intimidate a Petrova, he would soon realized that she was not one of being so easily intimidated by the presence of this English, rich man, who seemed to be so full of himself._

"_Yes." Klaus responded, before lowering his upper body on the back of his chair. "I will pay good money for your services; therefore, the least that I can receive in return is some kind of insurance that the merchandise is good quality." _

_Elijah would definitely killed him for this, but at the present moment, he could not back down from the most thrilling, exciting joust that he had ever experimented with a woman in thousands of years…That one got fire!_

"_Fine!" She responded, before rising on her two legs, pulling away the arm chair, with an angry push of her right feet, raising the electronic eye of the webcam, before taking a few backward walking steps away from the desk. _

_Carolina stood in front of the camera, with a cold and emotionless stare, before untying the belt of her crossover dress, letting the fabric fall at her feet, unhooking her bra, and throwing it on the floor, as well, in front of a speechless – mouth opened Klaus._

"_Is the merchandise enough good quality for you?" She asked him, coldly, while standing semi-naked in front of his sight._

_ooOoo_

_Klaus kept his sight in hers in all time, in a joust of silent power between the young Russian woman and this thousand year's hybrid Original vampire. _

"_I don't want my future wife to act like a whore." He mumbled, angrily, between his teeth. _

_A slap in the face would not have been worst than the cruelty of his words, Carolina thought, while startling and frowning at the insult, but she also knew that she had sought for this to happen, for this man anger to come to the surface. He had a weakness in him, and that information could get handy someday. _

"_Dress yourself!" He ordered her, nervously, while rising up from his sitting position and pacing back and forth in front of his laptop. "Now!" He ordered more, in a louder voice._

_She jumped at the sound of his ordering voice, before bending her upper body, grabbing her dress and bra on the floor, turning her back at him, and quickly dressing herself. _

"_Now sit!" He ordered some more._

_Carolina pulled the armchair back to its position in front of the camera and laptop, before taking her sitting position, while noticing that he was sitting on his chair now, with a closed expression on his face._

_The beep sound was suddenly heard with a message appearing on their respective screen:_

_This present session will close itself in:_

_60 seconds_

_59…_

_58…_

_57…_

"_You'll have to learn to obey me." Klaus warned her._

"_I'm not one who obeys easily." Carolina responded._

"_You'll learn." He added._

"_Maybe you could find another candidate more willing to obey you?" She suggested, fearless, while raising her chin._

"_And missing the joy to hunt the beautiful prey that you are?" Klaus responded, with a devious smile on his lips, making her loose the colours on her cheeks._

_22…_

_21…_

_20…._

"_You're making a mistake…In choosing me." Carolina finally replied, with a growing feeling of hate inside of her._

"_I doubt it …I'm not known at making mistake…" Klaus responded._

"_If you want, I will marry you, you can even force yourself on me … But, I will never love you." She mumbled, angrily, between her teeth. "If I was you, I would choose another, more fitted candidate."_

_Klaus startled and frowned at her mention of a loveless life. Wasn't it his curse since his birth?_

"_Who says I'm interested in this "love" thing you're talking about?" Klaus maliciously responded. "Maybe, I am just into playing twisted game as choosing a foreign woman to become my obeying wife?" _

_12…_

_11…_

_10…_

"_You life with me in it, we'll be a living hell." She said, harshly to him._

"_This is music to my ears." He responded, with the biggest smirk on his lips, before adding. "I'll contact the agency; you're the woman that I want." _

_Carolina startled, while swallowing a big lump of nervousness in her throat. Her life would be soon tied up to this despicable man._

"…_Until we meet face to face, "my" Carolina." He added, deviously._

_3…_

_2…_

_1…._

_0_

* * *

_Thank you for reading, my dear readers._

_I hope you enjoyed this second chapter, as much as I enjoyed writing it. _

_**Answers to the anonymous reviews**__**:**_

_**Please put a fictive nickname for your reviews, it is easier to answer you after.**_

_**Guess1: **__who said that she could not wait for the second update … Thank you for your nice review, sweetie, I hope you enjoyed this chapter._

_**Guess2: **__who mentioned both couples, thanks for the nice review, sweetie, it's true that Carolina won't stay pure for ever … LOL … And Katerina is able to defend herself very well._

_**Justineeeeeeeeeeeeeee: **__Merci ma chérie pour suivre cette nouvelle histoire. Je crois cependant, et te connaissant, que ce chapitre va t'achever…LOL._


	3. Two - One way tickets to London

**SWEET KISSES FROM RUSSIA**

Fan Fiction – Alternate Universe

Caroline & Klaus

Elijah & Katherine

From:** Lovely Vero**

* * *

Chapter 3

"**Two - One way tickets to London****"**

* * *

"_And what will be your genius plan to get us out of this mess, Niklaus?" Elijah asked, with a made tone of voice, while pacing back and forth in his Manor's office, in front of his brother, both of his hands firmly placed on each side of his waist. "We've signed an agreement with the agency, for God sake, and now we've mixed our own identities!" He exclaimed, while pointing an accusatory finger toward his brother. "By your own fault, if I may add, if you hadn't switched the hours of the meetings we wouldn't be stuck in that mess to begin with." _

"_Well" Klaus mumbled, falsely sorry, before turning on himself, while showing his back to his brother…Now, If only his plan could work? Come on Elijah, bite into the bait! "I could in the goodness of my heart take the woman that I had chosen for you, and you could take the one you have chosen for me. It wouldn't be such a problem, would it?" He suggested, while smirking in amusement. "I believe it would be the best solution to our problem. Carolina is kind of shy and reserve; she would be the worst choice for you. But, she'll be my problem to handle now. And after all, I'm the one she has seen as her future potential husband." Klaus lied through his teeth._

_Elijah stopped his incessant pacing, while raising an eyebrow with interest toward his brother, his lips twisted in a left corner grin; this was an interesting turn of event. His brother seemed to literally bite into his bait. _

"_Well, it wouldn't be very ethical of us, would it?" Elijah played the game, shamelessly, before crossing his arms in front of his chest, while noticing that his plan was actually going in the right direction, maybe he wouldn't have to convince his demoniac brother to keep Carolina after all, and in the meantime, he would be able to keep Katerina as his promise wife. Since the webcam meeting, he hadn't been able to get that brunette out of his mind._

"_Elijah, Elijah, Elijah….When will you realize that you and your honor will never find their rightful places in this hypocritical humanity. You seriously think that this agency has any kind of honor in itself? Let me laugh then." Klaus explained, while turning his body around to face his brother, before taking a few walking steps to reach Elijah's standing position and drowning his sight in his. "It's a business contract, nothing more, nothing less for them. They'll give a crap which brother will get which of the two women in marriage; they are only thinking about the same huge amount of money that will fill their bank account. As for the two women…" He explained more, before shrugging his shoulders and adding. "One rich contender to replace another rich one will not change much to their goal especially that they have already met the prospective husband they are supposed to be married to. If we both each keep the woman we had met of course." _

"_It's seems logical to me; but still, you can start a relationship in deceit, Niklaus, I thought your thousands of years on this earth, and too many errors, had shown you that already?" Elijah reminded him._

"_You point, brother?" Klaus responded, while frowning in anger._

"_My point is that I will make amend by telling the truth, to both to the agency and the parties involved." Elijah replied. _

"_Do as you wish, brother." Klaus replied, while shrugging his shoulders in annoyance._

"_There's a major issue that we did not discussed yet, Niklaus. They are human, how will we deal with that problem?" Elijah demanded, seriously._

"_We'll turn them in good time." Niklaus shrugged more._

"_Assuming they want to turn?" Elijah responded, before adding. "Assuming they are ready to learn what we are?"_

"_In due time, they will." Klaus responded, before turning on his heels. It was an aspect of the question that he was not able to give a definite answer to his brother, just yet. "Just give me the same result: Carolina as my wife and Katerina as yours, and I'll be grateful." He added, while reaching the exit of the office, before slamming the door on its arch with the biggest smirk plastered on his lips, feeling satisfied of this unexpected end result. Elijah had finally fallen right into his trap. _

_Elijah watched the door being slammed in front of his eyes, before grinning and shaking his head._

"_Aww… Niklaus…You are way too easy to manipulate." He said to himself, before reaching for his blackberry … And important phone call to Russia needed to be made._

* * *

"_Mr. Mikaelson, if we allow the Foundation to collect a substantial amount of money, I believe that with the added help of the Mikaelson Enterprise, we'll be able to save the children hospital." An older man, who was sitting in front of Elijah's sight in his London office, explained, while handing him a file._

_Elijah grabbed the file, before opening it and taking a quick look at the statistic shown on papers. _

"_I'll take time to study your proposition more in depth, Mr. Greenger, and let you know in the following week my position on this project." Elijah replied, while rising on his feet, before handing his right hand to the middle age man._

"_Thank you, I was not expecting less consideration coming from you." Mr. Greenger replied, while smiling and shaking Elijah's hand. "Would you give me the honor of joining me and my wife for a dinner, let say the week-end of next week?" _

"_Thank you for your kind invitation, but unfortunately, I'll be retained that particular week-end." Elijah replied, while gently pushing the man toward the exit of his office. _

"_Game of poker perhaps? I'll still need to take my revenge on you from the last one I was playing at your side." The man smirked._

"_No, not this time…It's actually my wedding day." Elijah replied, while nodding his head, in shyness._

"_Well, that is certainly a nice surprise, congratulations!" Mister Greenger replied, while shaking Elijah's hand with the most fervor. "I wish you all the happiness in the world and I hope to meet your wife in a very near future."_

"_Thank you." Elijah replied, while opening his office door. "Melinda, would you accompany Mister Greenger?" _

"_I'll do that with great pleasure, Mister Mikaeslon." The receptionist replied, while rising from her sitting position, before showing Mister Greenger out._

_Elijah closed his office door, while closing his eyes and rolling his head into a 360 degrees rotation to relax all his neck muscles before taking a few additional walking steps to reach the panoramic window, drowning his sight in the rain that had been falling on London all day. _

_The sound of his cell phone startled him; he reached for the electronic device in his jacket's pocket, before raising it near his right ear. _

"_Elijah Mikaelson" He responded, toneless._

"_Katerina Petrova" She presented herself, before adding. "How could you even think that I would accept this kind of behaviour? I have pride you know? You were not even the man that I was supposed to marry? Either was the one that my sister met?" He heard her Russian accent voice yelled at him. "Me and my sister, we don't have much, but we have our self-esteem, Mister __**"Elijah"**__ Mikaelson." She added, while making emphasis on his first name._

"_Katerina…" He murmured, in surprise, while savoring each syllable of her first name; it had been way too long since their first encounter. "How did you get this number?" He asked, while smiling heavenly at the sound of her voice. "I've specifically asked the agency for this number to stay private."_

"_That is not important; I have my ways of persuasion. What is important is that you and your brother made fun of me and my sister." She yelled, even more, at him. _

"_It was an unfortunate misunderstanding, everything is now in order. Do you have something against marrying me instead of my brother, Katerina? Is that the real problem?" He mocked her._

"_Я предпочел бы гореть в аду!" She exclaimed in Russian, with an angry tone of voice, while telling him in her natal language that she would prefer to burn in hell._

"_Тогда мы будем гореть вместе как муж и жена!" – "Then we'll burn together as husband and wife" Elijah replied to her, in a perfect Russian, while grabbing his winter coat in his office closet, before directing his walking steps toward the exit. _

"_You know Russian?" She asked, completely dumfounded._

"_There are a lot of things that I know, Katerina, and that you are not aware of…Yet." He replied, before holding his walking pace in front of his receptionist desk. "I'm leaving for the day, hold all my calls, and no transfer on my cellphone either. I'm with an important client at the moment."_

"_I'll do as you wish, Mister Mikealson." The receptionist answered him, with her spotless smile, while nodding her head in respect. _

"_Who's that?" Katerina asked, while suddenly biting her bottom lip, and regretting her query…what had possessed her to ask him that question or to even care?_

"_Are you jealous, Katerina?" He asked, with a mocking tone of voice, while entering the elevator. Only the silence answered him. "It's my receptionist, Melinda; you'll meet her in good time." He informed her more. "How have you been?" _

"_Like you care?" She replied to him, her arms crossed in front of her chest._

"_I do care. You'll be my wife soon." Elijah replied, before reaching the ground floor and getting out of the elevator._

"_I don't like a man who tricks a woman; it's a bad omen to deceive another human being." She replied, slyly._

"_You're entirely right; we are agreeing entirely on the subject. I can only hope that with time, you and your sister Carolina will find within yourselves to forgive us." He replied to her, with honesty, while lowering his upper body and head to enter inside the back seats of the limousine. "Thank you, George." He thanked his chauffeur._

"_You're welcome, Mister Mikaelson." George replied, while nodding his head, and closing the door after his boss._

"_Who's that?" She asked, once again, more curious than ever._

"_My personal chauffeur, you'll know him very soon." Elijah replied, amused by her curiosity, while pushing a button that raised the black screen between his chauffeur and his own privacy in the back of the limousine, before pulling the knot of his tie._

"_Maybe not…." She responded, defensive._

"_Did you and your sister receive the plane tickets?" Elijah asked, while smirking at her way of playing this delightful cat and mouse game with him._

"_Maybe I'll…Maybe, We'll decide to stay in Russia?" She replied, confrontational, while raising her chin. "And we'll cancel all agreements."_

"_I highly doubt it, Katerina." He replied, while smiling._

"_Don't doubt it, you could be surprised." She stipulated._

"_I highly doubt it because you're doing this marriage agreement for your sister, and not for yourself." Elijah announced, subtly._

_Katerina swallowed her saliva, before taking a few deep breaths._

"_Why do you say that?" She asked Elijah._

"_Because, Katerina …. I know the burden of responsibilities being an older sibling can bring on your shoulders." Elijah replied to her. "You want a better life for your sister, more than you want it for yourself." _

"_I'll do anything for her." She replied, while feeling tears emerge in her eyes._

"_If my brother falls in love with your sister, in the future, he'll love her for eternity." Elijah replied, with sincerity. "It's just how Niklaus is…But, he's not known to fall in love easily." _

"_How do you know that for a fact?" Katerina asked. "And Carolina, will she fall for your brother?"_

"_I don't, Katerina, you are right." Elijah replied, with a bit of laughter in his voice. "But, the fact that he agreed to take her as his wife is actually proving me that he felt something strong for her since they have met." _

"_Why did you not choose her?" She asked more. "Maybe she'll be more of your taste?"_

"_I have chosen you, Katerina." Elijah replied. "Isn't it enough?" _

"_It makes no difference to me." Katerina replied, semi truthful._

"_Why is that?" Elijah demanded, while drowning his sight in the traffic surrounding the car._

"_You or your brother, it makes no difference to me, the result is the same." She shrugged._

"_Not a romantic bone in your body, as I can see?" Elijah mocked, gently._

"_Is it a problem?" She asked._

"_Actually, no, it's not." Elijah replied, before adding. "It's actually a blessing. I don't believe in romance."_

"_Do you believe in love?" She asked, while raising one of her eyebrows._

"_No, I don't, and you?" Elijah asked himself._

"_I only believe in a contract between two consenting adults, Mister Mikaelson, isn't it the point of all of this." She responded, suddenly breathless._

"_I believe it is, Katerina." Elijah replied, while lowering his head on the support head of his seat. "You'll ask the agency to put the cost of this call on my bill." Elijah ordered._

"_I can pay for this call!" Katerina replied, proudly. "I don't want or need alms from your part." _

"_You'll do as I say." Elijah repeated, in a higher tone of voice. "My wife will never have to ask for alms. We'll see each other on Friday; have a nice and safe trip, Katerina."_

"_As you wish…" She replied, contradicted by his superior tone of voice. She needed to play his game, only for her sister sake._

"_As you wish … to whom? Your future husband name or am I mistaken?" He pushed her a little more._

"_Elijah…" She mumbled, in a whisper, into the phone. All of this was for Carolina; she needed to remember this more than anything._

"_That is much better." He added, before closing the conversation, the biggest smile plastered on his face._

* * *

"_It's time already?" Ingrid asked both sisters, her head under the threshold, while rubbing her hands nervously and seeing Katerina locked their apartment door for the last time._

"_Yes, we need to be in the airport in one hour." Carolina replied, while nodding her head, before lowering her suitcase and backpack on the corridor floor._

"_Come here my child." She said, while opening her arms to the young woman who rushed into her neighbour embrace. "You'll take care of yourself, you hear me?" She added, tears filling her eyes. "And don't let any man told you who you are supposed to be in life."_

"_I won't, Ingrid." Carolina replied, while shaking her head, with tears falling fluently on her cheeks._

"_Take this." Ingrid said, before putting a medallion in Carolina's hands. "It is a family heirloom; it will protect you, my sweet Carolina." _

"_I can't take this from you, it's too precious." Carolina responded, while shaking her head._

"_I want you to take it, as a gift." The elderly woman added, while closing her hands on Carolina's. _

"_Thank you, I'll cherish it." Caroline responded, while passing the golden chain around her neck. _

"_Go downstairs … Wait for the taxi." Katerina ordered her sister._

"_Ok" She responded, while nodding her head, and hugging Ingrid one last time. "I'll write to you, I promise." She added, while sweeping her tears away from her face, before grabbing her bags, and walking toward the staircase._

"_I hope you know what you're doing, Katerina?" Ingrid asked the older sister, while shaking her head in disapproval._

"_We are leaving this dumb, aren't we?" Katerina replied, before sliding the set of keys in Ingrid's hands. "Give this to the jerk of landlord that I had to endure for so many years." _

"_I will" Ingried replied, before pulling Katerina in a hug. "Take care of your sister, and mostly, don't forget to take care of yourself." She added._

"_You'll be in my prayers, Ingrid." Katerina murmured, while holding the woman in her arms. "Here, take this." She added, while sliding an envelope in the elderly woman's hands._

"_What is this?" Ingrid asked, dumfounded._

"_It's money, I won't need it anymore, but it will help you in the future." Katerina explained, with teary eyes, before sweet kissing Ingrid forehead, grabbing her suitcases, and running into the staircase._

"_May God, be with you both, my sweet girls." Ingrid yelled into the corridor._

* * *

"_George, will take care of your suitcases, Ladies, I hope you had a pleasant and safe trip? If you could follow me now, I'll take you to your private quarters?" Maria, the Mikaelson' governess addressed herself to both Petrova's sisters, while directing them toward a majestic staircase, leading them shortly after, toward the upstairs bedroom corridor of this grandiose manor, under their speechless expression plastered on both of their faces. _

_Maria finally hold her walking pace in front of a double French doors, before pushing it open to a suit that was at first sight decorated for a woman taste. _

"_I hope you'll be comfortable in this present suit, if ever this is not the case, please inform me and I'll find you better accommodation." Maria nodded her head, in front of Carolina. "I presume you must be very exhausted. There are fresh towels in the bathroom, and I'll bring you a light lunch in a short moment." _

"_Thank you" Carolina only managed to mumble to the middle age woman. _

"_I will show you your quarter now." Maria added to Katerina, with a hand gesture toward the other side of the corridor. _

"_We'll see each other later." Katerina murmured to her sister, to give her strength._

"_Yes" Carolina simply responded, with a timid smile, before closing both doors. _

_Katerina followed the governess, while being lead into her own suit._

"_As for your younger sister, Madam … Everything is also, and I hope, to your satisfaction?" She politely addressed her._

"_I'm not… I mean we are not selling ourselves even if it looks that way." Katerina said to Maria, while blushing and lowering her head. "I don't know what you have heard about us?"_

"_I'm paid by my employers to work as a governess, not as a gossip journalist, Madam." Maria responded, while tiling her head, in respect._

"_Thank you." Katerina answered her, while smiling timidly._

"_You're welcome Madam." Maria replied, before nodding her head and closing both doors behind her, leaving Katerina standing in the middle of the suit, lost in her thoughts._

* * *

_Carolina wandered around the rooms of the upstairs corridors; she had taken a shower, eaten a sandwich and soup brought by Maria, and changed her clothes. Her wardrobe was basic, restraint, clean and respectable, but certainly not in accordance with the luxury of this Manor, that she should, as of now, be calling her "home". _

_She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans with a large and long, white sweater, her long, humid, blond hair falling freely on her shoulders, in soft curls, while taking walking steps, bare feet, on the marble floor._

_A door ajar caught her attention; she pushed it opened, before entering another suit, decorated with more masculine taste. If Katerina would have known that her younger sister was wandering around, she would have warned her to stay put in her own quarters, but Carolina was not known as one to listen to orders so easily, and plus, if the man who have had the audacity to change his own identity with the one of his brother, wanted to wed her, he was entitled to know her real free spirited personality._

_She pushed the panel on its arch, before taking a few walking steps on the tick, luxurious, greyish carpet on her feet. The suite was decorated in the nuances of white, grey, and black, in a very 1920' style. One part office, one part living room, and last but not least, the bedroom reachable by an arcade covered with black velvet curtains on each side, leading to a gigantic bed, covered with a silver satin bedspread and several black cushions as decorative accent. Carolina blushed before turning on herself, while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat. She could feel in her guts that this suit and bed was "his"._

_She turned on her heels, before entering the adjacent office, passing the tip of her fingers over the glass desktop of the mahogany desk. She turned a world map globe on its axe, before sighing in boredom and venturing herself even more while taking in her hands, from the top of a fire mantle, a frame that was showing a sketch drawing of Paris._

"_See anything that you like, Love?" She heard an English voice asked her. _

_She startled, before turning on herself to face the intruder, who was leaning his upper body on the left side of the office arch door. Carolina placed a hand over her chest, while unexpectedly dropping the frame on the wooden floor, in a loud noise of broken glass._

"_Be careful, you're bare feet, you might cut yourself." Klaus warned her, suddenly worried, while advancing toward her position. _

_Carolina took a walking step backward, while prior assuring herself of not stepping over the broken glass._

"_Not one to listen to warning, aren't you?" Klaus smirked, while raising one of his eyebrows, before reaching her position and drowning his sight in hers._

"_I don't listen easily to order." She replied, while raising her chin at him, unexpressive of the raising heart beats in her chest while standing face to face with her presume future husband. "….Sir." She added, slyly._

"_It was barely one, sweetheart. I was just concerned about your safety." Klaus informed, amused, while crossing his arms over his chest, his own sight narrowed on her. "…Sir?" He required an explanation, surprised._

"_Or should I say Mister the "impostor"?" She questioned, madly._

"_You're mad because of the previous switch identities, aren't you?" Klaus asked, while smirking. "It was an unfortunate misunderstanding. I present to you my deepest apologies." He said, before adding. "You would be bored in two seconds in the presence of my brother Elijah, I'm a better fit to the strong and stubborn woman that you are." _

"_I will never know if your brother would have been better, because you took my free will away from me. Either way, you or your brother, it makes no difference to me." She replied, in all honesty. _

_He was not what you could call a typical handsome man; his style was obviously rougher on the edges, she noticed, while slowly sliding her sight on his body. He was tall, thin and built at the same time, his muscular chest and arms were the evident proofs of a daily workout. His clothes consisted of grey, long sleeves, Henley t-shirt, a fitted pair of dark jeans, black biker's boots, several leather necklaces and wristbands were adding the thought exterior touches to his look. But the part that was attracting Carolina to him, against her own will, was mostly this aura of strength and power that you could instantly sense from that man. _

"_Now that you've just studied my physical attractiveness, do you find me handsome? Am I a good contender to become your husband? Am I at your taste, Carolina?" Klaus asked, mockingly, while stepping over the broken glasses, nearer to her own position, before taking a strand of her blond curls around one of his fingers._

"_You're a common looking man, like thousands of others." She shrugged her shoulders, lying through her teeth, while blushing, lowering her sight, and crossing her arms in front of her chest, in a protection mechanism. It was one thing to see him on a laptop screen, but a complete different experience to have him stand in front of her shaking body. "I prefer an ordinary looking man, with dignity in him, than a lying handsome one." She replied, tit for tat._

_Klaus leaned his head backward before bursting into loud laughter._

"_What a breath of fresh air you'll be in my life, Love. Fool of honesty, fire, and light." Klaus said to her, while sliding the strand of hair behind her right ear. "Your hair is like silk on my skin." He whispered, while leaning his mouth near her earlobe, his lips almost touching her skin._

_Carolina kept herself motionless, while keeping her stare forward. _

"_If you let me, I could give you the world on a silver platter. Do you realize that?" He murmured more, while sliding the tip of his fingers on her delicate jaw line._

_Carolina turned her head slowly toward Klaus, before drowning her sight in his. _

"_Is it your uncertainty of never being remotely appreciated, liked or even loved by a woman that makes you talk this way?" Caroline replied, slyly, before adding. "My feelings can't be bought; I thought you've already understood that about the woman you've chosen to married." _

_Klaus frowned, angrily, while biting the inside of his cheeks. _

"_And yet you've sold yourself to a stranger?" He replied, pernicious._

"_You right, I can't deny that." Carolina replied, with teary eyes, while shrugging her shoulders._

"_I can be a very persuasive man, when I want to be. Just know that fact about me, Carolina." He replied, slyly, himself. "I simply demand respect from my wife. Love is a sentiment that has never been a priority of mine. It's actually not in my priority at all." He added, before turning on himself, and closing his fists in anger. "Who loves is weak, and your future husband is not weak." He added, before turning his sight back at her. _

"_What about sex?" She asked, unafraid of his attack on her._

"_It's something that I can ensure you that we'll enjoy immensely, in the future." He replied, while smirking. _

"_I don't feel any attraction toward you." She replied, defensive. "So, I highly doubt I could enjoy being intimate with you … But, I'll do what is asked of me."_

"_You'll have sex with me, like an unwanted task? You're such a beautiful liar." Klaus responded, mockingly, while taking a few walking steps to place himself behind Carolina's back, slowly sliding his hands on the length of her arms, his thumbs firmly placed on the inside of her left wrists. "Boom, Boom, Boom… The beats of your heart is dangerously rising, Love….Could I be the reason?" He whispered, his eyes closed, his chin placed in top of her head._

_Carolina closed her eyes for a split second, her heart suddenly missing a beat, under her sudden shortness of breaths. She needed to urgently pull herself away from his too close proximity. She took a few walking steps in front of her, under the sharp pain of a piece of glass entering her right sole._

"_Ouch!" She exclaimed, while raising her foot in the air._

"_What did I told you, Love?" She heard him, angrily, mumble between his teeth, before being raised in his arms a second later. _

"_Put me down!" She ordered him, while not having any other choice but to encircle his neck of her arms to keep a good balance. _

"_I don't have it in me to listen to orders either." Klaus responded, while blinking an eye at her, before carrying Carolina toward the black, modern, leather sofa in the living room adjacent the bedroom. _

"_I'm able to walk!" She protested some more, proudly._

"_And I'm able to carry you." He responded, while slowly raising her right leg up to look at the wound. Luckily, and firstly, he had fed blood earlier, and secondly, the cut was superficial. "Don't move!" He ordered more, under her pouting face, before walking toward the bathroom, and coming back with a set of bandages in his hands. _

_He took a sitting position by her side, before raising her foot on his lap, and slowly cleaning the cut, blood spreading on his hands, he turned his head for a quick second, while closing his eyes. The smell of Carolina's red elixir was already making his head spin. He rapidly wrapped the bandage around her foot._

"_There, you'll need to keep it dry for a couple of days." He added to Carolina, who was staring at him with wide open eyes, and both motionless and speechless at the same time. "See, your future husband is not so much the monster you think he is." _

"_Do you still need me?" She asked him, abruptly._

_Klaus lowered his head on the back of the sofa, before bursting, once more, into laughter._

"_I would keep you for eternity by my side if this is the question you're asking." He mocked her._

"_I'm tired." She announced._

"_Then, you're free to go rest in your suite, Carolina." He replied, while sliding both of her feet on the floor. _

_She rose on her legs, limped toward the exit of Klaus' suit, before turning on herself one last time, and murmuring. _

"_Thank you" _

_Klaus assured himself that she had passed the threshold before closing his eyes, and slowly bringing his finger covered with blood to his lips … Delightful … Like he knew it would be… He smirked, while tasting her aphrodisiac gore._

* * *

_Katherine stepped out of the luxurious bathroom, wrapped in a comfortable terry robe, while drying her long, brown, curly hair with a lush towel, embroidered with the letters __**"K.M."**__ – Katerina Mikaelson… She shivered at the thought, while passing the tip of her fingers on the embroidery before suddenly being hit by a dizzy spell. She took an additional walking step, grabbing the upper edge of an arm chair. She hadn't eaten since more than twenty four hour, and it was now taking its hold on her. _

"_Katerina" She hear an English masculine voice calling her name softly, before turning on herself and facing the man who suddenly took her breath away while standing under the threshold of the opened French doors._

_**Elijah**__ … Her blurry mind had the time to realized while fixating her sight at him. He was standing straight as an "I", while wearing a superior quality two pieces, black suit, both of his hands in his trouser pockets, his tie unknot, with two of the first buttons of his man shirt opened on his chest. He was without a single doubt, the most handsome man that Katerina have ever had the chance to meet in all her life._

"_I…" She only had the time to mumbled, before feeling the heaviness of her eyelids, and an intense fog wrapping every of her thoughts. _

"_Katerina" She heard once more, in a louder tone of voice, before falling into unconsciousness, with the last and only notion of her body being held by two strong pair of arms._

* * *

_Thank you for reading my dear readers, and for your appreciation of this story._

_I'll write the fourth chapter right after this one, before going back to my other stories. So expect another update very soon._

_**Answers to the anonymous reviews**__**:**_

_**(Guys, tries to give yourself a nickname, it will grandly help me respond to each of you, instead of answering to multiple Guests. Thanks.)**_

_**Vlevvy: **__Thank you sweetie, nice to have you aboard._

_**Justineeeeeeeeeeee: **__Mon but ultime sera toujours de t'achever :P – Tu ne t'en sortiras pas … La seule façon de t'en sortir serait d'arrêter de me lire… Voilà! Pis j'ai l'impression que les poules auront des dents … LOL … Je suis hyper contente que tu apprécies le début de cette fiction … C'est une fiction toute en nuance sensuelle, tout est dans le non-dit … Dans le jeu des mots, des regards, du touché … J'avoue que j'adore moi-même, et que je suis toute retournée quand je l'écris. __Merci pour ta gentille review._

_**Guest1: **__So sorry, I don't know __**« Taming of the shrew », **__sweetie? And after this story, I'll go back to the __**SEVEN DATES **__sequel and to a new fiction named: __**1,2,3 … Cha Cha Cha.**__ So, I'll be quite busy. Thanks for the idea though, and the awesome review. _

_**Lillubye: **__Coucou, on a déjà échangé je crois sur une autre histoire. Et je t'en prie, c'est plutôt moi qui vous remercie chaleureusement de me lire._

_**Gues2: **__Who told me that the story was great: Thanks so much._

_**SONY:** Thanks sweetie, for the nice review._

_**If I have missed a review it is not intentional. **_


	4. Two fiancees for two Originals

**SWEET KISSES FROM RUSSIA**

Fan Fiction – Alternate Universe

Caroline & Klaus

Elijah & Katherine

From:** Lovely Vero**

* * *

Chapter 4

"**Two fiancees for two Originals****"**

* * *

_**Previously on Sweet Kisses from Russia**_

_**(…)**_

_**Elijah**__ … Her blurry mind had the time to realized while fixating her sight on him. He was standing straight as an "I", while wearing a superior quality two pieces, black suit, both of his hands in his trouser pockets, his tie unknot, with two of the first buttons of his man shirt opened on his chest. He was without a single doubt, the most handsome man that Katerina have ever had the chance to meet in all her life._

"_I…" She only had the time to mumbled, before feeling the heaviness of her eyelids, and an intense fog wrapping every of her thoughts. _

"_Katerina" She heard once more, in a louder tone of voice, before falling into unconsciousness, with the last and only notion of her body being held by two strong pair of arms._

* * *

_Katerina sighed while turning her body, from left to right, on the comfortable mattress, with her head still heavy on the soft pillow, from too many hours of sleep. She let her body take time to enjoy a few extra minutes of peacefulness, while lying under the silk bed sheet and comforter. She smiled before thinking in the fogginess of her mind that she had never slept so long and so well in her entire life._

_Her eyelids slowly opened under a blurry vision. She blinked several times before finally seeing a male figure sitting on the bench in front of the bay window. _

"_Where am I?" She mumbled in a low whisper, while suddenly strengthening her upper body in a sitting position, taken into a moment of panic, both of her hands holding her head under a light slenderness on her temples._

"_London, England" She heard him respond to her, while seeing the man rise on his feet and approaching her own position on the bed. _

_All of her memories rushed back to her like a boomerang….Elijah Mikaelson, no, more: __**Duke Elijah Mikaelson**__, the man that she was supposed to marry, was now standing beside the bed, __**her**__ bed, in __**her**__ new suit, in __**her**__ new luxurious English Manor._

"_What happened?" She asked some more in her Russian natal language._

"_You fainted, Katerina." Elijah responded, in English, while handing her a porcelain cup._

"_What is it?" She asked, fearful._

"_Nothing with drugs in it, I can assure you, if this is what you are worrying about." He added, with a smirk curving the right side of his lips. "It's perfectly safe, it's chamomile." _

_She raised the sheet on her chest, before grabbing the cup with both hands, nodding her head in a thankful manner, her lips slowly touching the warm and suiting liquid, between a few glances toward Elijah._

"_You're taller than I firstly thought?" She said, in her bluntly manner._

"_Is that a problem?" Elijah smirked through his answer to her._

"_It's just an ascertainment." She shrugged, while sipping her chamomile._

"_Unfortunately, my dear, I can't shrink." He replied, highly amused, while crossing his arms over his chest._

"_You won't have too, I'll buy higher heels." She replied, with the most logical thought that came out of her mind._

_Elijah stood speechless in front of Katerina, while shaking his head._

"_I want to be equal to you." She explained more, while raising her sight at him. "In my head I'll be able to reach it that way, at least by being the same height that you are."_

"_And you think that highefr heels will make you reach that goal of being my equal?" Elijah asked, while shaking his head more dumfounded than ever, before raising his right hand over his mouth to hide his sudden amusement … She was too adorable._

"_No, I am not stupid, and neither a feminist." Katerina added, firmly. "This marriage is already diminishing my rights, because of this contract between us. I just need to find a way to stand by your side while raising my head high."_

"_And you'll reach this goal with high heels?" Elijah repeated, while raising one of his eyebrows. _

"_For the time being, yes, I will." She replied, shamelessly. _

"_Well…We'll surely discuss that… unexpected subject, later." He ended it. "You gave us quite a scare, Katerina." Elijah added in a subtle change of conversation, while nodding his head._

"_You gave "us"? You mean?" She asked, surprised._

"_You sister, Maria …" He listed, before adding, while drowning his sight in her. "…Me." _

"_I'm sorry." She replied, before blushing and slowly turning her torso to drop the empty cup on the right side bed table. "Who…" She started asking, while lowering her hands on her nightgown._

"_Maria" He guessed the question, before giving her the answer. "She undressed you of your previous clothes, and dressed you with the nightgown that you're wearing now."_

"_It's not mine." She wondered, while touching the silkiness and lustfulness of the fabric._

"_No, it's not." Elijah replied, before adding. "I took the liberty of buying a few clothes before your arrival."_

"_How…" She started again._

"_Did I know your measurements?" He smiled. "I had all the information needed in the agency file." He informed._

"_Of course you did." She replied, while rolling her eyes._

_Katerina glanced at him for a few seconds, while grabbing the matching silk gown that was lying at the foot of the bed, before dressing herself with the sumptuous fabric._

"_I'm not an orphan without clothes, you know, I have everything I need in my suitcase." She replied, slyly, to him, while pushing the comforter and sheet away from her body_

"_Nothing was intended as disrespect, Katerina." Elijah replied, while frowning. "Your suitcase and backpack were still locked and placed near the walk-in. I gave an order to Maria, asking her to wait for your approval before opening them and placing your personal belongings in the closet. If I hurt your feelings, I'm deeply sorry." _

"_Oh….No…I…" She mumbled the sound, while blushing and shrugging her shoulders. "Thank you." She finally added, while rising on her two legs, before suddenly losing her balance. _

"_Be careful" He warned, while approaching her, before sliding both of his hands around her waist, to help her keep a good balance. "You've already fainted once; let's try to not repeat this event. Just breathe slowly." He added to Katerina, his chin placed above her head, the warm of his breath caressing her hair._

"_I fainted?" She demanded, while slowly feeling the blood circulation coming back into her legs and cheeks, the last two mostly caused by his too closed proximity. His hands were burning the skin of her waist through the silk fabric. She stepped away from Elijah, before closing very tightly, the silk belt of her dressing gown. _

"_Yes, I took the decision of calling the doctor." Elijah started explaining._

"_A doctor came?" She said in shock. "Why? It was unnecessary."_

"_I had no way of knowing if your health condition was serious or not. I took the only logical next step, Katerina." He explained, calmly, to her._

"_It wasn't serious, I fainted simply because… because I was stupid. I hadn't eaten for almost two days." She shrugged, while placing herself in front of the bay window. "I was worried about my sister faith in your brother's hands." _

"_So that would be the reason? Nevertheless, you fainted and then you came back to awareness for a few seconds, before drifting into unconsciousness again." Elijah explained some more, while suddenly smiling and sliding his fiery side on her feminine curves. _

_She was placed in front of the opened curtains window, and with the help of a few rays of sunshine entering the suite, Elijah was able to see through the silk fabric. _

"_I explained to the doctor that the simple sight of me may have been the reason that you've fainted." He informed her. _

"_What?" She exclaimed in shock, while turning on herself in shock, before pointing an accusatory finger at him. "This is…This is simply not true. I would never faint at the sight of a man … You're not God!"_

"_Well, I'm certainly not God." He mocked, before adding. "But, you are certainly the first woman that literally fainted at my sight … Would you say that it was physical attraction at first sight?" He asked more._

_Katerina blushed, the hundred shades of red, before lowering her sight away from his._

"_It was not the reason." She mumbled, angrily, between her teeth. _

_Elijah smirked, before reaching her standing position, raising her chin with the help of his right hand, while forcing her to drown her sight in his. _

"_You're joking about this, aren't you?" She said, while finally noticing his twisted smile on the left corner of his lips._

"_Katerina, I don't have the pretention to think that a woman could actually faint at my sight only, give me a little bit more credit than that, would you?" He replied, while slowly caressing the skin of her left cheek with the tip of his thumb, leaving a trail of delightful shivers in her spine. "But the thought of it, has certainly bailed my ego." He added, while smirking, and turning on himself, before sliding both of his hands in his pants' pockets._

"_Not like you would need an extra boost in your oversized ego." She mumbled, to herself, in a low whisper, while rolling her eyes._

"_What did you just say?" He asked, while turning his sight at her._

"_Nothing…" She replied, while blushing._

"_You like a good joust, don't you?" Elijah asked more, amused, while crossing his arms over his chest. _

"_I won't silence myself if this is what you're asking." She finally replied, while shrugging her shoulders._

"_Please don't, stay as you are, beautiful Katerina … You are certainly enlightening my days, which I can assure you, not a lot of people are able to even come close to do." He said, before adding. "You fainted because of exhaustion and bad nutrition. I want a woman at my side that will be in good health." _

"_I'm sorry … It won't happen again." She replied, while shaking her head. "I know you want the merchandise to be in good condition." She added._

"_Who are you calling the merchandise?" Elijah asked, in shock, while narrowing his sight on her. "I don't want to hear that again in your mouth, am I enough clear to you, Katerina?"_

"_Crystal" She replied, while crossing her arms in front of her chest, in a pouting gesture, before raising her chin at him. "Acting as a true boss much?" _

"_Most of the time, yes, very much, do you have something against it?" He asked her, while putting both of his closed fists on each side of his waist. _

"_I'll deal with it." She replied, while shrugging her shoulders. "And I'll take care of myself." _

"_Good." He simply replied, before adding. "I'll let you eat and get dress, and then if you could meet me in my study, downstairs, I would like to review the conditions of our contract at your earliest convenience." _

"_What do you mean review the conditions? I thought everything was clear between the parties and the agency?" She asked, suddenly worried._

_Elijah took slow, calculated, walking steps to reach Katerina's standing position. He slowly slide a hand around her waist, while pulling her trembling body in a close proximity of his chest, before lowering his head near hers._

"_There is always the condition of the new pairs of high heels shoes." He gently mocked, while slowly kissing Katerina's left cheek, leaving a trail of fire on her skin._

_A discreet knock on the suit door, made them turn their heads simultaneously toward the entrance, before stepping back from their embrace._

"_Madam, Mister Mikaelson." Maria saluted verbally while nodding her head, before closing the suit door behind her, a silver tray of foods in her hands._

"_Maria brought you a light lunch; I'll see you later, Katerina." Elijah informed her, before directing his walking pace toward the door. "Thank you Maria, It smells divine." He added, while addressing a polite smile to the governess, before leaving the suite. _

_Maria walked toward the table, before lowering the tray on its wood. _

"_I hope this light lunch will be at your satisfaction, Madam, if you need anything else, you can reach me in the kitchen by simply dialling "0" on your wireless phone, placed on the side table near your bed." She informed Katerina._

"_Thank you." Katerina simply responded, while approaching the table._

"_I'm glad you're feeling much better, Madam, Mister Mikaelson was really worried about you." Maria informed, with a trace of a smile on her lips, before turning on her heels and leaving the suit._

_Katerina stood motionless for a few seconds, with the only thought of Maria's last sentence playing continuously in her head ….. __**Mister Mikaelson was really worried about you.**_

* * *

_Klaus pushed the glass door open, while getting out of the majestic shower, before grabbing a towel on a silver hook and vigorously drying his hair and body. He dropped it on the marble floor, stood in front of the full length, blurry, mirror, before passing his hands into his curly blond hair, while suddenly hearing the loud sound of the upfront door of his suite being slammed on its arch._

_He grabbed his bleached pair of jeans that were also hanging on another hook, before rapidly sliding the fabric in front of his pelvic naked area, in the nick of a time of the bathroom door being widely opened._

_Carolina stormed inside the steamy, luxurious bathroom, with her own steam coming out of her ears, in her two pieces, sweat pants and matching t-shirt, with her hair styled in a ponytail, before standing in front of a semi-naked Klaus, with both of her closed fists on each side of her waist. Included with her magisterial entrance, the added effect of her angry stare, that could kill him on the spot if only he had not been eternal._

"_Oh …" She mumbled, before blushing, and while finally realizing that her "future husband" was standing naked in front of her eyes, with only his folded pair of jeans placed in front of his private parts. "I'm sorry." She apologized, in shock, while turning her back at him, and placing her right hand over her eyes. _

"_I'm pretty sure that turning your back at me was enough to avoid seeing my naked body." Klaus mocked her, while sliding his left leg into his pair of jeans, soon followed by his right. _

"_It's not like I haven't seen a naked man before." She lied through her teeth._

"_Also sure you had quite a high percentage of chances to see one, while storming into a private bathroom." He mocked more._

"_I did not think." She murmured. "I just react."_

"_But, I can assure you, Love, this all inclusive package, that I am offering, you've certainly never saw it before!" He giggled through his sentence._

"_Thinking too much of yourself, again?" She replied, slyly._

"_Just stipulating the honest truth … I also understand that the blushing fiancée wants to keep the main event for our honeymoon night, and I fully respect that. But, at the stage of intimacy that we are obviously reaching, and the amount of time that you are passing in my suite, since your arrival, with the added fact that I've seen you half naked as you've seen me, I think it would be safe to assume that we've reached the next level in our relationship, and it would also make more sense to me if you would move your private stuff in my walk-in, like ….Today." He explained, humorously, while smirking, and sliding the zipper up. "There, Love, I'm all decent, now." _

_She turned on herself, while closing both eyes, and slowly reopening one, while taking a quick glance at Klaus. _

"_Hello there." He mocked even more, while moving his fingers in front of her opened eye, as a greeting gesture. _

_She sighed in fury, before reopening the second one, while avoiding looking at Klaus's naked muscular chest, streaming with steam. _

"_What is this?" She asked, furiously, with her melodious accent, while waving in front of his sight, a written note on a piece of paper. _

"_Good morning to you too, future wife, did you sleep well, Love?" He asked, while taking a walking step toward her standing position, before lowering his sight on her bare feet. "Bare feet again?" He asked more, while raising one of his eyebrows. _

"_Do you have something about my bare skin?" She asked him, angrily, while crossing her arms over her chest. "Is it part of the contract that I should always wear slippers on my feet?"_

"_Oh Love, believe me when I say that I can't wait to see your skin completely bare in front of my sight." He replied winking and smirking, while lowering his upper body near hers, his eyes fixated on her lips._

"_Most of the time, I really want to punch your face." She exclaimed, bluntly, before adding. "I thought it would be honest of me to tell you this truth." _

"_Well, thank you for your honesty sweetheart truthfulness will certainly be a big part of our marriage success…. Remind me this at our 50__th__ Anniversary's party, would you?" He mocked more, before lowering his head near hers, while whispering near her ear. "See, it is a big part of my charm and you're obviously falling for it." _

"_I seriously doubt it." She responded, while promptly stepping away from his too close proximity, her bare right foot suddenly slipping on the wet marble floor, before losing all of her legs' balance._

_A small cry escaped Carolina's mouth, while trying to regain her equilibrium. Klaus thwarted the upcoming fall, while rapidly grabbing her waist and bringing her shaking body in the embrace of his strong arms. _

"_I've told you that bare feet could be dangerous." He murmured, near her right ear, while closing his eyes and listening to the sound of her tormented heart beats, pumping her delightful red elixir into her veins. _

"_You're standing bare feet?" She replied, while raising one of her eyebrows. _

"_It's kind of logical after stepping out of the shower." He replied, sarcastically. "Just before a blond tornado stormed inside of my private quarters, that is." _

"_It's the foot bandage that made me slip." Carolina managed to whisper, her opened palms placed on his naked muscular chest, while feeling a range of electric shocks hitting her entire body all at once, under her jerky breaths. "I'm fine now, you can let go of me." She managed to mumble to her soon to be husband._

"_Your heart is beating dangerously fast at the moment. How can you be fine?" Klaus smirked. "Am I still the cause of this effect?"_

"_What is it with you and heart beats anyway?" She asked, while slowly raising her sight in his._

"_Well…." Klaus smirked, his eyes drown into hers. "Let just say it's a special skill that I have, among many others." He added, while winking and gently pushing her out of his reach. She was too much of a temptation at this present moment for him to handle … And the open shower was creating a series of erotic images in his mind, and, to be honest, any moment since he had met Carolina had been dangerous for him. "So, what can I do for you, Love?" He asked, while reaching the vanity sink, grabbing a badger in his hand, passing the shaving instrument under the stream of water, lathering it, before brushing in a circular motion the foam on his face._

_Carolina swallowed a nervous lump in her throat, while watching for the first time in her life, the morning intimate moments of a man. _

"_Don't worry, Love." Klaus smirked. "I've already put your toothbrush beside mine in the toothbrushes holder, and, not to offend your sensibility, I choose a pink one." He added, in humorous tone of voice._

"_What is it with this note you left in my suite?" She asked, slyly, while bending her upper body to pick up the piece of paper that had fallen on the marble floor. _

"_You have something against a small note left in your suite?" He asked, while taking in his right hand an antique shaving blade, before slowly sliding its cutting side on his manly face._

"_It says…" She started reading. "Carolina, I'll wait for you downstairs; we'll go pick up your dress for the wedding that will be held next week." She exclaimed, in fury._

"_Ohhhhh…." He let out the exclamation sound. "I'll let you pick up the dress that you want, don't worry about that fact, and if you are this traditional kind of girl who's thinking that it would be a bad omen for me to see you in it, I'll swear that I won't even look at it until the big event. I'm actually more impatient to see you get out of it." He giggled. _

"_No, I'm not talking about that." She busted, while stomping her left foot on the floor. "Why are you making fun of me this way, you know perfectly well what I am talking about."_

_Klaus lowered the blade on the vanity counter, before sighing and turning his sight in Carolina's._

"_If we don't get married in the next following ten days, you and your sisters you'll be expatriated back in Russia." Klaus calmly explained to her. _

"_But it was never written on the contract?" Carolina exclaimed. 'It was said that both parties would have the time to get to know each other, before joining into a legal marriage." She explained more. "How can I even know you in ten days?"_

"_And yet, they openly lied to you." Klaus responded, with a sarcastic laughter, before taking the blade back into his hand. "It's a lying bitch of a world out there, Love, the sooner you will realize that fact, the sooner you'll be able to deal with it all."_

_Carolina closed her eyes, while feeling tears filling them. _

"_Is it so bad?" Klaus whispered, while holding his movements. _

"_What?" She murmured, suddenly taken by sadness._

"_Marrying me?" He asked, while turning his head toward hers._

"_It's what I've signed the papers for… I can't back down now." She replied, while sweeping her tears with the back of her right hand. _

_Klaus swallowed a lump in his throat while thinking that it was certainly the first woman in his past thousands of years that had acting recalcitrant over the possibility of getting intimate with him, and yet, her physical reaction was showing the opposite: Her raising heart beats when she was standing near him… Her blushing cheeks…. Her shyness when she was discreetly avoiding his sight. _

_She took a few walking steps to reach Klaus's standing position in front of the vanity, before taking from his hands the antique blade._

"_My father used to have one exactly like that… It's kind of old fashion … Is it how you say it in English?" She asked him, while smiling._

_Klaus returned her smile, before sliding the foamed brush on his left cheek. _

"_I'm kind of very old and very fashion at the same time." He blinked an eye at her, as a response._

"_My father had it from his own father. It was an antique, from the 1920' collection." She explained more to him._

"_I bought mine at the same time." He let out the information, before turning his head to the left to avoid her sight, biting the inside of his cheeks, and frowning at the same time, hoping she hadn't caught that part… Damn him! For two seconds he had lowered his guards._

"_You bought this blade in 1920'?" She asked him, dumfounded, with her mouth widely opened._

"_Of course not, I simply meant from that period of time. I actually bought it in a London antique shop." Klaus managed to explain. _

"_But, you're doing it completely in a wrong way." She said, while blushing and shaking her head._

"_You're an expert at shaving men, Love?" Klaus mocked her, in a gentle way._

"_I used to do it for my father." She explained, before slowly placing herself in front of his naked chest, her back leaning on the vanity counter. "It's all in the angle of your wrist." She explained more, while raising the blade near his cheek, slowly bringing the sharp blade near his skin._

"_Should I get worried? There is a sharp blade in the hands of my loving fiancee?" He mocked, while raising one of his eyebrows._

"_Don't give me ideas." She responded to him, with a hint of a smirk twisting her lips._

_She lowered the sharp blade on his skin, while cutting his facial hair with precision. _

"_You smell good?" Klaus murmured, while sliding both of his hands on each side of her hips, before slowly bringing her into a nearer proximity. _

"_With my father's technique you're sure of cutting yourself less often." She informed him more, while trying to avoid looking at him in the eyes, the beats of her heart starting to rise in her chest. _

"_I like having you in my arms; you're a beautiful woman, Carolina." He murmured more, while encircling her waist, and bringing her into the comfort of his arms, before lowering his lips on her left cheek, slowly kissing its roundness. "Your skin is so soft." He told her, before asking. "Are you lips as soft?"_

"_Don't ..." She murmured, while closing her eyes._

_The shrill sound of the blade falling on the marble floor created enough of a diversion for her to regain her good sense. She pushed herself away from his arms, before rushing out of the bathroom, while closing the door behind her._

"_Don't even try to push your feelings away, denying them, or lying about them..." Klaus smirked through his sentence. "You're attracted to me, Carolina Petrova." He added, before starting to whistle._

* * *

_The biggest "thank you" sent to all of you for your dedication and reviews, my dear readers. I don't have any pretension in me; I just do what I love the most doing, which is writing, improving year after year, and giving the biggest joy to my readers, by evading your real life problems in a pleasurable reading time. Love you all! _

_I'm going back to my two other stories now, so be patient for the next update. For the ones who are following "TPOL", I'll talk to you soon. _

_**Anonymous reviews**__**:**_

_**Bluesuitharold: **__I am thanking you for the bottom of my heart, sweetie. I'm doing my very best to truly bring a moment of pure reading enjoyment to my readers. _

_**La seule et unique «Justine»: **__Tu sais cela m'a vraiment fait plaisir que tu t'attaches également à cette histoire. Je suis certaine que tu t'es délectée une fois de plus de ses joutes verbales. Et que dire de la scène dans la salle de bain? Tu vois mon but quand j'écris, maintenant, est de savoir : Comment puis-je tuer Justine d'un seule coup? LOL – Ma chérie, tes reviews me font toujours aussi chaud au cœur. Merci!_

_**Lillubye: **__Merci pour ta gentille présence et remarques dans les reviews. J'ai adoré ton appellation des poupées russes, c'était vraiment mignon._

_**Guest named "K": **__Very kind of you to think so highly of this story, thank you, sweetie, I appreciated every word._


	5. One step at a time

**SWEET KISSES FROM RUSSIA**

Fan Fiction – Alternate Universe

Caroline & Klaus

Elijah & Katherine

From:** Lovely Vero**

* * *

Chapter 5

"**One step at a time****"**

* * *

_**Previously on Sweet Kisses from Russia**_

_**(…)**_

"_I like having you in my arms; you're a beautiful woman, Carolina." He murmured more, while encircling her waist, and bringing her into the comfort of his arms, before lowering his lips on her left cheek, slowly kissing its roundness. "Your skin is so soft." He told her, before asking. "Are you lips as soft?"_

"_Don't ..." She murmured, while closing her eyes._

_The shrill sound of the blade falling on the marble floor created enough of a diversion for her to regain her good sense. She pushed herself away from his arms, before rushing out of the bathroom, while closing the door behind her._

"_Don't even try to push your feelings away, denying them, or lying about them..." Klaus smirked through his sentence. "You're attracted to me, Carolina Petrova." He added, before starting to whistle._

* * *

_Maria, the Mikaelson's governess turned her head toward the entrance door of the kitchen, while feeling a presence nearby. _

_Katerina stood, for a short moment, motionless underneath the threshold, while addressing a timid smile to the woman who was standing in front of the sink of this high-tech kitchen._

"_Madam, I did not hear you come, can I be of service?" She inquired, while wiping her wet hands on her apron, before straightening her upper body._

"_No… I… I mean, I just brought you back the lunch tray." Katerina explained, while sliding the said tray on the granite isle counter, before entering her hands in her jeans back pockets._

"_I see." Maria replied, before walking pass Katerina to reach the tray, while nodding her head in respect. "This was really unnecessary, Madam. I could have picked it up in your suite." _

"_It was no trouble for me to bring it back to you." Katerina replied nervously, while sliding a strand of her curly brown hair behind her right ear. "I'm … I'm used of taking care of my things, you know. I never had someone who did it for me, and neither had my sister." _

"_Well, as of now, it will be my pleasure and my work obligation to take care of both yours and your sister … "Things", Madam." Maria responded, with a glimpse of a smile touching her lips._

"_Ok. I get what you're saying." Katerina shrugged. "You don't want to be in trouble with the "king", himself." She added out loud, without realizing it at first. "Oh my God, that … I mean, that is not what I wanted to say." She blushed._

_Maria raised one of her eyebrows, while trying to retain her amusement._

"_Madam, the qualifiers nicknames that you will choose for your future husband is sincerely not of my business." Maria replied. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" _

"_I … I need to find "his" study room?" Katerina replied. "He's waiting for me."_

"_I see…Certainly, Madam." Maria replied, while reaching the kitchen swinging door, before pushing open its panel. "The corridor straight ahead of you, then, you just need to turn to your right. The study room is the one with the French doors. If you want I can bring you myself?"_

"_No…I mean thank you. I'll manage to find my way around." Katerina nodded her head before leaving the kitchen and taking her first walking steps into the corridor, toward Elijah's office._

* * *

_Her future husband was obviously not the type to let things drag. His office was immaculately tidy. His desktop clean, with all the files piled in alphabetical order, books on shelves were placed in rows without a trace of dust on them, their covers probably dust by Maria on his specific order… She could only suppose. _

_Katerina sighed, before taking a sitting position on a comfortable leather armchair placed in front of the mahogany desk. She raised her legs, before crossing them and dropping her high heels boots on the desktop. It was more than obvious to her, that she had nothing in common with that soon to be husband of hers. She was a free spirited, stubborn woman, and she would usually hang her pantyhose for days in the tiny shower of what used to be her apartment…She had a feeling that her habits would certainly drive Elijah crazy, which made her smile. _

"_What was the deal between the France office and the Germany one?" Elijah asked the interlocutor, his blackberry placed on his right ear, while entering his office, slamming one of the French door and taking a few more steps to reach Katerina's sitting position, before standing by her side, with his left hand place on his waist._

_She raised her sight to take a quick glimpse at her fiance while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat and nervously rubbing her hands together. That English man had this strange effect on Katerina, like no others before him, and she hated to not have the perfect control of her own emotions over him._

"_I want to be informed of the latest developments." Elijah cut the conversation short._

"_Work on a Saturday?" Katerina asked, while rising one of her eyebrows, and crossing her arms over her chest._

"_I'm a powerful man, with a lot of responsibilities on my shoulders." He responded. "Sooner you realize that fact, sooner you'll be able to act accordingly."_

_Elijah went up to her, before sliding his right hand under Katerina's knees, while gently pushing her legs away from his desktop, her feet now back on the floor._

"_It's not lady like to put your feet on the furniture." He warned her, like a child, before getting around the desk, and undressing himself of his blazer. "Furniture is generally meant for a purpose, and that purpose is not a footrest, Katerina."_

"_I'm not a lady, neither a little girl that you need to reprimand!" Katerina shrugged, while pouting. "You can withdraw that idea from your head." _

"_Then, I suppose you'll have to learn to become a lady while becoming my wife, my dear." He suggested, while smirking and pulling on the knot of his tie, before taking his sitting position at his desk._

"_And in the meantime you'll be worrying about dust accumulation over your precious furniture; is this thing a rich man prerogative?" She pushed a bit further, while narrowing her eyes on him._

"_Wealthy." He rectified the term, while joining his hands in front of his face, to retain his amusement. _

"_What?" She asked, dumbfounded._

"_Wealthy man is a better term." He replied, smiling. "It has a classier vibe to it." _

"_You make my blood boil." Katerina sighed._

_Elijah leaned his head back before bursting into laughter._

"_Oh my dear Katerina, where were you all my life." He exclaimed, before asking. "It's so refreshing to meet a truthful person in the middle of this falling humanity for a change. Tell me, did you eat the food tray Maria brought to your suite?" _

"_Yes, I did, "dear"." She confirmed, sneakily._

"_Good. I want you to eat your three meals a day from now on." He replied, while opening the desk drawer, before presenting a credit card on the desktop, in front of her sight. "This card has been made at your name, and has an unlimited access to credit money." _

"_Yes, daddy" She replied, insolently, while frowning, before taking the card in her hands. "Why are you giving this to me? Aren't you afraid of me and Carolina leaving this mansion and enjoying the freedom of living on your money?" She teased him._

"_You'll be tracked by the immigration in no time, and the access to the money on the credit card would be frozen." He replied, smirking. _

"_I was joking." She shrugged, while rolling her eyes._

"_I know you were." Elijah smiled. "You're a frank, honest and strong young woman, Katerina, it's qualities that I'd seen rapidly in you." _

"_What can I buy with this? Or what do you want me to buy with this?" She asked, more seriously, while showing the card to Elijah._

"_As my wife, you'll be asked to accompany me on diverse gathering of charity functions, balls, business dinners." Elijah started explaining. "I want you impeccably dressed in all time, in a classic, yet, elegant way, while standing by my side."_

"_Translation: You want me to look like a stuck up snub wife, while losing all of my personality and glorifying my husband in front of everybody?" She found the nerves within herself to respond to him, while raising her chin. "Did I get this part right?"_

"_The amount of time that I will gladly save with your brilliant deduction and way of understanding my implied requests is highly appreciated, Katerina." He smiled. "Therefore, and because you've accepted the conditions of becoming my wife, linked to this contract, I expect nothing less than your entire cooperation." He added, while raising a file in his hand. _

"_Anything else you need as a front in this ashamed of arranged marriage?" She asked, bluntly._

"_Find yourself a wedding dress for the double ceremony, with my brother and your sister, which will take place at the town hall next Saturday." He nodded, while informing her._

"_It has to be so soon?" She bubbled, while blushing._

"_I'm touched; the brushing fiance is impatient to unite her life with mine." Elijah mocked. "Unfortunate technicalities if you want to stay in the country."_

"_OK" She nodded. "It's the deal between us after all. I'll do what you're asking." She shrugged. "But, I'll keep my free will." _

"_I would never ask you to change your personality, Katerina." He responded. "I enjoy your truthfulness way too much." _

"_I'll buy a lot of very expensive high heels shoes with this card, just be aware." She mocked, while turning the card between her fingers._

"_You, seducing me with your feminine weapons would certainly be an interesting option in this contract, which could easily arouse my attention and sexual pleasure." He replied, bluntly, himself. "But, it is not entirely necessary in our agreement."_

_Katerina lowered her head, while feeling the beasts of her heart rising dangerously in her chest. What did he meant by this exactly?_

"_The high heels shoes subject? What makes you think that you won't be my equal in this agreement? Or that you are not already?" Elijah asked, his sight drown into hers. _

"_You have all the cards in your hands. I'm just obliging to your requests and orders." She answered him, while shrugging. "It's certainly not a fairy tale "Pretty Woman" kind of story." _

"_I prefer the term: demands." He replied, before slowly rising on his feet, while taking slow, calculated steps to reach her sitting position. "Richard Gere fan, I presume?" He mocked. _

_Elijah leaned his lower back on the edge of the desk, while slowly raising his right hand to open the first buttons of shirt, before rolling his sleeves on his upper arms, under the attentive and appreciative glance of Katerina. He was doing it on purpose, testing his man power and seduction over her, but she would not give him the satisfaction to seem disturbed by his game. _

"_Buying high heels shoes won't make you feel like my equal, Katerina, it will simply help you reach my height, nothing more." He explained, before handing her the file that was lying on his desktop._

"_What is this?" She asked._

"_It's your wedding gift." Elijah replied. "This is the private investigator's file, listing all there is to know about you and your sister." _

_Katerina lost all her cheeks colors, while grabbing the file from his hands._

"_Why are you giving me this?" She asked, with a broken voice. She knew perfectly what this file was containing._

"_Equality in any kind of relationship starts with trust and respect, Katerina." He replied to her. "I am opened to give you my trust and respect, in exchange of yours." _

_Katerina rose on her feet, tears filling her eyes, while dropping the file on the armchair, before turning on her heels. Elijah rapidly grabbed Katerina's right wrist, while retaining her by his side in the room. _

"_Your past as an escort is irrelevant to me, Katerina." He murmured, before approaching her, his chest leaning on her back, his warm and soft breath on her hair, his right hand still placed on her wrist, with his left slowly sliding on her hip. "You did what you had to do to put more bread on your table, and assure a better life to your sister." _

"_Then, why did you investigate us?" She mumbled, while feeling a tear rolling on her cheek. _

"_I'm a wealthy man with a huge empire in my hands; it was a simple security procedure." He calmly explained, before losing his grip on her, and taking one step back. "Katerina, turned around and look at me, Please?" He gently ordered her. _

_She turned on herself, while facing him, her fists tightly closed, her sight kept on the floor. He slowly raised her chin, while drowning his eyes in hers._

"_It doesn't matter to me." He repeated. "Your actions speak for them-selves and are only showing your strength, Katerina, not your weakness." _

_She tried to retain an additional falling tear, but she couldn't. The stress of the previous days was now taking the best of her endurance. _

"_Don't ever pay of your tears your due to mankind; they are not worth the trouble." He murmured, while slowly passing the tips of his fingers to brush the falling tear off her cheek. _

_Katerina closed her eyes at the delightful touch of his hand on her skin, before trembling at the surprising additional touch of his manly lips brushing, softly, hers, in an almost unperceived kiss that latest a fraction of a second, while creating a range of uncontrollable shivers in her entire body. _

_She reopened her eyes, a short moment later to find him standing in front of the bay window, his hands deep into his pants pockets. Did she dream that kiss? _

"_Why would you want "me" to be your wife in all the women you could have chosen in the world?" She asked._

"_I don't think less of you as a woman because of the choices you had to make in your life; stop lowering your self-esteem because of them. And, I chose "you" as my future wife, because I wanted to choose "you". There is nothing more to add on the subject, Katerina." He explained. "You've lost your trust in men, probably with good reasons, and I won't push the issue, but as of now, just know that you have earned my respect." He added, while turning his head to stare into her eyes._

"_So, I need to buy myself a new wardrobe, high heels shoes, and a wedding dress, anything else I can do for your services?" She asked, while blushing._

"_You won't let go of the shoes?" Elijah smirked._

"_It's still an agreement." She shrugged. "I want to know all the conditions."_

"_You are not obligated or entitled to sleep with me on our wedding night." He informed her, while turning his head and sight back at the window. "Or for as long as you want." He added. "But, you'll be obligated to sleep in my suite, by my side, after the wedding."_

"_I'll have to sleep in the same bed, but while being in a platonic relationship with you?" She asked, dumbfounded. _

"_Yes. But I don't think anything could be platonic between us, Katerina." He responded, amused. "I don't want any gossips among the staff." _

"_You'll find your sexual satisfaction with a mistress, I suppose?" She asked, while frowning. _

_Katerina suddenly thought that for the strangest of reasons, this idea was disturbing her peace of mind. _

"_Let's just say that for the time being I am on sabbatical." He said honestly, with a smile twisting the corner of his lips._

"_So, I'm your perfect cover." She responded. "I'm the wife that will allow you to retreat yourself from the market for a short while."_

"_It's a blunt way of reading between the lines of this agreement." He shrugged, still smiling._

"_Do I need to live my own woman life like a nun as well?" She asked, while raising an eyebrow, and crossing her arms in front of her chest._

_Elijah took a few walking steps to come back to her standing position, before lowering his head, his sight, now, lost in her eyes._

"_You're not ready to be intimate with a man, me or any other man." He addressed the issue. "You have too much resentment contained inside of you." _

"_You're very sure of yourself?" She responded, while trembling of rage and raising her chin to him. _

"_Always" He responded, smirking, before adding. "The day you'll need a sexual issuance, you'll ask me for it." He added, before turning on his heels, and taking his sitting position back at his desk. "It could actually be pleasurable between us, if you let it be."_

"_I'll ask you for it, really?" Katerina responded, while stomping her right foot on the floor. "It will rain cows the day it will happen." She murmured, angrily, between her teeth. The nerves of this man!_

"_What did you just say?" Elijah asked, smirking, while raising his sight from the file he was holding in his hands._

"_Nothing" She responded, while biting her bottom lip. "Anything else, I need to know about our marital agreement?" _

"_Not at the present moment, Katerina. I'll get back to you in the future." Elijah replied. "You just need to know that you can go as you please in the Manor. Ask Maria to show you the interior pool, the theater, the library… Also, if you need to go shopping or at the hair dresser or at the spa, just ask George, my personal driver, he'll drive you around London. They are at your service now." He explained._

"_You find something wrong with my hair?" She asked, while raising her hands on her lustrous brown curls._

"_I find nothing wrong with the all package that you are offering to my sight." He replied, sarcastically. "But, I know that a woman loves to pamper herself. You have the money at your disposition now, enjoy the idea and enjoy yourself." He explained more, before adding. "Anything else you need to know?" _

"_Not at the moment." She shook her head._

"_Good, then we are in agreement. Enjoy your day, Katerina. I'll see you at dinner time." Elijah added, before lowering his sight back on the file._

_Katerina turned on her heels, before storming out of his fiance's office, breathless and shaken like she had never been with any other man before him._

* * *

_Carolina strolled inside the Manor for a good hour, while discovering the wonders of this luxurious, huge house that she would call, as of now, her home. Along her walk of discovery she was stopped by the cry of hunger, before founding her way back to the kitchen. She pushed the swinging door to enter the huge room. She snooped around, finally finding her way around the enormous pantry, while trying to find something of her liking to eat. She needed sugar, and she needed it now. It was a certainty, that she would probably be reprehended by Maria, the governess, for her present actions. In no way she was allowed to lift her little finger to search for her own food._

_She had been trying since a good hour, and especially after the unfortunate morning encounter, to erase "him" out of her mind, but without achieving success. "Him" being Klaus, her present fiancé, slash, future husband. This pretentious, pompous, English man, with his stupid accent, snobby attitude, unpleasant demeanour, and outrageous ego the size of the earth, she thought to herself while grabbing a jar of chocolate spread, closing the pantry door behind her, before opening several drawers to find a spoon. _

_Truth be told, she did not like Klaus very much, thought certain aspect of his male anatomy were not so disgusting to the sight, she shrugged. She could have been easily matched, by the Russian marital agency, with an ugly, old man, but this was not the case. And overall, she would not be the one to crash her sister's dream to live the life of the rich and famous, away from their previous life of misery, even if she would never visualize herself as such._

_She leaned her back on the granite kitchen counter, while opening the jar and taking a full spoon, before entering the dripping brown substance in her mouth. She had now officially reached heaven, she thought, smiling, while closing her eyes, licking the spoon and moaning sounds of pleasure, before seeing flashback images coming into her mind like a forbidden, unspoken sin: his sculpted abs, his muscular chest with drops of water slowly sliding on the "V" line of his manly pelvic area, humid, curly, golden strands of hair, falling on his forehead, his blue eyes like the color of the ocean, his plumper lips.._

"_You know what they say about chocolate, sweetheart?" She heard a deep, sensual, English, voice whispering near her left ear._

_She jumped out of her body at this particular voice sound, while reopening her eyelids and seeing her erotic thoughts materialize in front of her sight._

"_What are you doing here?" She asked, breathless. "I'm sorry…I mean… I did not hear your come?" She resumed, politely, while suddenly noticing his arms encircling her body parameters, both of his hands placed on the counter, on each side of her hips. _

"_It's one of my many talents." Klaus responded, smirking. "I love to sneak on people, even more when my, beautiful, future wife is obviously having an ecstasy moment over chocolate, or was it really about chocolate, Carolina?" He murmured, his lips touching her earlobe, his warm breath caressing her skin. "Maybe you were having a sexual fantasy about someone?" He mocked._

"_Don't flatter yourself." She shrugged, while rolling her eyes. "Even if you are technically my fiance, I barely know you."_

"_Well, chocolate is certainly the first erotic compensation of not obtaining what you mind wants, you can't blame me for hoping, Love, especially after your short visit in my bathroom, not even an hour ago." He responded._

"_Maybe I like to eat my chocolate this way: with a spoon and without unwanted interference ruining my pleasure." She pushed a bit further, while taking another full spoon in her mouth, before passing the tip of her tongue on the length of her lips._

_Klaus narrowed his fiery sight, while raising his right hand near Carolina's mouth, and, with the tips of his thumb, he slowly brushed the excess chocolate from the left corner of her lips, before licking his own finger._

_Carolina's heartbeats rose dangerously in her chest, with shortness of breaths taking her by surprise a short moment after. Damn him! She hated his guts so much..._

"_You know, there are so many other ways to enjoy this chocolate orgy." Klaus murmured, his hands slowly sliding from the edge of the counter to the roundness of her hips. "I'm sure that I'll have the chance to experience all of them with my future wife, after our wedding day." He responded, while appreciating every word of their verbal joust._

"_I need time to get to know you. Next week is too soon." She responded, while panting, and feeling the softness of his shaved cheek touching hers._

"_You're such a beautiful liar, Carolina." He softly replied. "Each languorous look you're giving me is an omen of the delightful pleasures to come between us." He added, smirking, before lowering his sight on her feet. "Bare feet, again? You don't listen easily, do you?"_

"_My bare feet don't have any pretension about them. It's not like you, who's walking bare chest all the time." She addressed the issue, while blushing and turning her sight away from his perfect pecs._

"_So regrettable, if I may add, because I would gladly enjoy seeing you walk bare chest all day long, Carolina." He winked, while pulling his body away from her too tempting proximity, before opening the double doors of the enormous fridge. _

"_You did not understand the meaning of my sentence." She blushed, before closing the chocolate jar, turning on herself to face the kitchen window, while dropping the spoon in the sink._

"_I know what you meant, Love." He replied, before grabbing a small bottle of water in his hand. "I was doing my routine in the exercise room, which is explaining my bare chest. Not entirely my fault if you have the talent of showing in front of my sight when I am half naked." He audaciously told to her face. "I need to exercise to keep my sculpted body in shape for my future wife and our honeymoon night of course." He mocked more._

"_You do your exercises routine after taking a morning shower?" She responded, while turning on herself, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and raising one of her eyebrows, in attack mode._

_Klaus took a big gulp of water, before lowering the bottle on the kitchen isle, and smirking._

"_No, usually I do it in a logical sequence, Love." He responded, while grimacing at her provocation. "But this morning, I had the unexpected visit of my fiance in my bathroom, and her lovely presence had aroused naughty thoughts in my mind, therefore, I needed a way to let the steam out of my body." He shrugged. "Exercises are as good as any other Technics I guess, though a morning make out session with my future wife would have worked wonders too." He smirked, before lowering his back on the kitchen counter, while crossing his arms and legs._

_Carolina lowered her head and sight away from Klaus's, while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat._

"_You must think that I have a sassy and pretentious attitude about myself, and that I am disrespecting you in your own home." She mumbled, against her heart, and while crushing her pride with her bare feet. "It's just that, as of now, I don't feel anything for you." She said, while lying through her teeth. "You need to give me time."_

_Klaus lowered his head, before bursting into loud laughter._

"_Oh, but, Love, I'll give you time…Don't worry your pretty heart about that." He responded, before taking, slow, calculated, steps to reach her standing position. "You have until next Saturday, and our wedding night." He smiled, viciously. "In the meantime, stop lying through your teeth about our obvious sexual attraction for each other." He added, pompously, while lowering his head near Carolina's, his sight lost in hers. "I could easily take you on the kitchen counter right this minute, without even hearing a protestation sound out of your mouth, because you would be moaning your pleasure, and screaming my name from the top of your lungs."_

"_You are so sure of yourself." She mumbled, in anger, while frowning, closing her fists and raising her chin as a confrontational gesture. _

"_I know." He smirked, before turning on his heels, while walking to reach the kitchen swinging door. "I'll go take another shower; you care to join me this time?" He mocked._

"_I'll pass." She responded, while pouting._

"_We're going out, Love, go put shoes on those cute feet of yours." He ordered her._

"_Where are we going?" She asked, curious._

"_We're going shopping. I'm going to buy my future wife a brand new, sexy wardrobe, and a wedding dress." He informed, before leaving Carolina speechless and motionless in the middle of the kitchen._

* * *

_The chime of the manor resound its melodious sound through the main corridor. Maria walked toward the entrance door, before tuning the handle and facing the visitor._

"_Mister Salvatore, what a lovely surprise!" She exclaimed, with a truthful smile blessing her lips._

"_Maria, it is always nice to see you, my dear." Stefan Salvatore saluted, before entering inside the main hall. "What an awful weather this country is having? The English winter rain at his best, I suppose." He added, politely, while getting rid of his coat, and handing it to the governess, before standing in front of her eyes, in a top of the brand, tailored, two pieces man suits._

"_Grey sky and rain, Mister Salvatore that is unfortunately our menu for the next few months." She gently mocked, while taking the coat from his hands. "Does Mister Klaus is aware of your arrival?" She asked, politely._

"_Actually no, it's kind of a spontaneous visit. I had some business to attend in London, and I couldn't do without visiting my dear friend." Stefan responded, while rubbing his hands together._

"_I'll go inform him of your arrival." Maria added, while nodding her head._

"_I'll find my way to the main living room, Maria; ask him to meet me there would you?" Stefan responded, while walking in direction of the said downstairs room._

"_Certainly, Mister Salvatore…" Maria responded, before climbing the majestic stairway._

_Stefan pushed the French door of the living room, directing his walking steps toward the bar, before grabbing a bottle of Bourbon in his hands, unaware of a silent presence, nearby._

_Carolina rose on her legs, from her sitting position in one of the luxurious arms chairs, surprised by this unexpected intrusion, while turning her upper body toward the stranger. _

"_Oh! I'm so sorry; I did not hear you or notice your presence." Stefan presented his polite apologies, before walking toward Carolina's standing position._

"_It's o.k." Carolina responded, shyly, while nodding her head._

"_Where are my manners? I'm Stefan Salvatore and you are?" He asked the beautiful woman that was standing in front of his sight, while handing his right hand to her. _

"_Carolina Petrova" She answered him, while shaking his hand. _

"_It's nice to me you, Carolina." Stefan replied, truthfully, while releasing his hand on hers. "You have a lovely first name and a lovely accent, you're from?" _

"_Russia" She answered him, while lowering her sight._

"_It's certainly a beautiful, historical country, which I had the chance to visit, several times in the past." Stefan replied, while sliding his hands in his trousers pockets. "And you are friend with which of the pompous Mikaelson brothers?" Stefan mocked._

"_You're certainly blunt about it." Caroline smiled, amused by his impertinence._

"_It will stay a secret between us." He whispered, while winking at her, charmingly. "I have known the Mikaelsons for what seems to be more than a century now." Stefan mocked. "Can I offer you a drink, Carolina?"_

"_What you could do is certainly leave my "fiancee" alone." A rude, English voice addressed its order to Stefan._

"_Klaus, did you, once again, forget to take your happy pill this morning?" Stefan asked, mockingly, while tilting his head to the right, before taking a few walking steps to reach his friend position. _

"_Salvatore, I'm not in the mood for your childish impertinence, what are you doing back in England." Klaus asked, while narrowing his sight on his friend._

"_I had some business to attend in London, and I thought that it would give you the greatest pleasure to see me between two meetings, maybe even share a friendly meal." Stefan responded. "And now, I am learning that the famous and notorious playboy, Klaus Mikaelson is tying the knot? After news like this one, I should certainly stick around longer." _

"_Well, I am happy to see that you are in good shape, Mate." Klaus responded, sneakily. "Now, the door is this way." He showed, smirking, with a hand gesture._

"_Isn't he the most charming man you've ever met?" Stefan asked, while turning his sight toward Carolina's standing position. "Let me at least congratulate your beautiful fiancee that I had no idea existed before this day."_

"_And this charming man will escort your decomposed carcass to the door!" Klaus replied, angrily, while grabbing Stefan left forearm, and pushing him outside the living room, without any further politesse into the corridor, and finally in direction of the main entrance._

"_For God sake, Klaus, What got into you?" Stefan asked, while releasing his arm from the hybrid's firm grip. _

"_Me?" Klaus smirked, slyly. "Nothing, Mate, I'm just busy, and I don't have time to chit chat with you at the present moment, and furthermore, I don't want your perfect over styled hairdo near "my" fiancee." Klaus added, while crossing his arms in front of his chest._

"_You're telling me that this theatrical scene that I've just witnessed in the living room was actually real? You were not playing the girl." Stefan asked, in shock._

_Klaus turned his head and sight away from his friend's, both hands resting on his hips, while biting the inside of his cheeks, and stomping his feet on the marble floor._

"_And, what do I see? You're actually jealous? I'll be damn!" Stefan exclaimed, laughing. "Klaus Mikaelson, heartless bastard, you've actually fell for that human Russian girl?"_

"_Leave." Klaus ordered, while closing his fists in anger, his patience was running low at this moment. "My hands are twitching me to snap your vampire heart away from your chest, Salvatore." _

"_Russia?" Stefan said out loud, while rolling his eyes, before suddenly exclaiming. "I'll be damn. You bought yourself a wife, you snaky old man. And a beautiful one if I may add." Stefan finally realized, before bursting into loud laughter, while being very proud of his deduction skills._

_Klaus grabbed Stefan's winter coat from the coat rack, before leaving it in Stefan's hands._

"_There! It was nice seeing you, Salvatore." Klaus said. "Now leave!" He ordered him, before pushing this nuisance out of his home and sight, and slamming the door in front of Stefan's nose._

"_Hey! Mikaelson… I'll come back and you know it!" Stefan yelled through the door, while banging his closed fist on the panel. "I'll haunt you forever with this!" He added, before turning on his heels, with the biggest smile plastered on his lips._

* * *

_Klaus drove the luxurious car inside the private garage of the mansion, before turning the BMW engine off and getting himself out of the driver's seat, while waiting for Carolina to do the same on her side._

_She slowly got out of the car, before slamming the passenger door in a very shrill, loud, noise. She was obviously mad at him, and this even after this expensive shopping spree of five thousand pounds, in which she had only nodded "yes" or "no", while remaining speechless, in all the boutiques he had brought her to buy clothes, shoes, accessories and her wedding dress._

_He let out a small growl sound, while pushing the automatic control that he was holding in his right hand to open the trunk._

"_I'll ask one of the maids to bring all the bags to your suite." He informed her, with a detached voice. _

"_How convenient to have people ran at your every request." Carolina responded, while crossing her arms in front of her chest, and raising her chin as a confrontational gesture._

"_They are well paid for their services, Carolina." He mumbled, angrily, between his teeth._

"_I guess, like I am well paid for the services that I will soon give to you?" She added, slyly._

_Klaus turned his angry sight back at her, before sighing loudly and taking a few walking steps to reach her position. Carolina stumbled backward, before feeling the garage wall in her back. _

"_What is your problem, Love?" He snapped, while pacing back and forth, his hands on each side of his waist. "I've just spend a huge amount of money to make you happy, with woman stuff, and yet, you are not satisfied?"_

"_Maybe I can't be bought so easily with nice stuff; did you ever think of that?" She replied to him, her opened palms placed on the wall._

"_It's kind of funny; I could have attested of the contrary, sweetheart." He replied, sneakily to her, before closing his eyes, and rapidly regretting his say._

"_You're a mean man." Carolina mumbled between her teeth, while shaking her head and feeling tears filling her eyes._

"_I didn't mean it. You pushed me to my limit." Klaus admitted, while closing his fists. "I am doing my very best to make this contract disappear between us, Carolina, why don't you give me the benefit of the doubt for once?" _

"_You want me to give you the benefit of the doubt, Klaus?" She asked. "Like the way, earlier, that you've made me look like a prostitute in front of your friend Stefan without having the decency to present me as your fiancee, in another way than: letting him think that you'd bought yourself a wife?" She yelled into his face. _

"_You've heard my exchanged conversation with Stefan?" He asked, while passing a nervous hand through his hair. "What is happening between us is not of his business, as simple as that. I'm a wealthy - powerful man, Carolina, you don't even know the half of it, and so is my brother, so you'll have to excuse us if we are not spreading our private life on the public place!"_

"_You think that it is not degrading for me to be in this present situation?" She lashed out more. "You think that I am enjoying myself, while being bought for my services?"_

"_You're the first woman who was able to take the place of a wife in my life, you should actually reverse your psychology, and think of your blessings." Klaus angrily responded._

"_I should think of my blessings?" She laughed. "What blessings? At least you friend Stefan respected me more in the five minutes that we exchanged together."_

_Klaus approached Carolina position, before lowering his head near hers, and drowning his sight in hers._

"_What are you saying that you would prefer to have him in your bed?" Klaus mumbled, between his teeth._

"_Don't be ridiculous!" She responded. "What I'm saying is that it's hard for me to turn my real emotions as you want them to be. I don't see myself falling in love with you, and I am certainly not attracted to you." She busted in the same anger he was showing to her. "I just need to learn that this "thing" between us is not more than a signed contract…You bought yourself a wife, and here I am!" _

"_I don't need any "love", Carolina... I'm heartless; it's something that you will soon learn about me." Klaus startled under her verbal attack. "But, as of you not being attracted to me, sweetheart, really?" He smiled sadistically. "Let me just prove the contrary to your analysis." He added, before grabbing both of her wrists and pushing them above her head on the wall._

"_No!" She protested, squirming to free herself, while turning her head alternatively, right to left. _

_Then, he forcefully grabbed her chin in his right hand, while holding her head immobile and keeping his grip on her wrists with his left at the same time, before crashing his mouth on Carolina's._

_She protested for the longest time, while moaning sounds of disapproval under his reckless and sensual abduction, but the pressure of his hard, manly lips on her trembling ones made Carolina suffocate for air, and she finally accepted the inevitable, while letting him invade the warm of her mouth, under his own sounds of pleasure._

_Unfortunately for Carolina, her future husband was extremely talented in his kissing skills. So much, that when he released his firm grip on her wrists, it was instinctively that her hands found their way around his neck, in the thickness of his hair, while grabbing two hands full of his tangled blondish curls._

_Klaus pushed his body on Carolina's, while slowly sliding his wandering hands on her waist, hips, lower back, before grabbing her bottom under her small moan of protestation, while kissing her passionately, in a mix of nibbling her wet lips and conquering her mouth with his tongue. The continuous sounds of her beating heart in his ears, melodious melody that reminded him of her delicious nectar running freely in her vein._

_Klaus finally pushed himself away from their embrace, before passing the back of his right hand on his mouth, to erase any trace of Carolina's scent on his skin._

"_Who needs frivolous feelings when we can have this sexual passion between us, Love?" He mockingly asked her. "At least something that we know that we'll be good at in our marriage, would you say?"_

_Carolina took several jerky breaths in her lungs, while raising a hand over her chest to calm herself down. She finally raised her head proudly to his sight, with tears filling her eyes, before storming out of the garage, while leaving Klaus behind with his tormented, demoniac soul as only companion._

* * *

_Thank you for reading this chapter my faithful readers, and, like always, I will answer all of your reviews and messages._

_Take care and… Love you all,_

_LV_

_**Answers to anonymous reviews**__**:**_

_**El: **__I'm doing my best to keep this chemistry palpable in each chapter. Love/sexual intercourses between characters in fan fictions are always a nice part to write or to read, but putting an aura of chemistry/attraction is even more enjoyable. Thanks for the review sweetie._

_**VD: **__Thank you for your review and appreciation of this story, sweetie. I am rarely afraid of my weirdest idea of stories that I get into my head, and I always follow my sixth sense to write them after all. _

_**Ilovetvd: **__Yes, sweetie it is again one of my crazy idea this fiction. I'm happy that you are enjoying it as well. Thanks for the reviews, hugs, and take care._

_**Lillubye: **__Bon depuis le dernier chapitre, tu as ouvert un compte … LOL … Mais je te réponds de cette façon quand même. C'est vrai que c'est les éternels joutes entre les deux futurs couples, mais quel plaisir à écrire, car tu vois, ils sont tous les quatre, de fortes têtes et en même temps c'est ce qui créent leur attirances mutuelles. Merci pour ta review, toujours aussi adorable._

_**Sony: **__Thank you sweetie for your review. I liked writing that scene myself ;) _

_**Guest: **__Thanks for the nice comments and appreciation of this story, sweetie. _

_**Justine: **__C'est un prénom qui m'apporte toujours un sourire sur les lèvres. Comment vas-tu? Je te dirais que Klaus l'attire comme un aimant, et en même temps à la différence de sa sœur, elle ne connait pas grand-chose des hommes, tu vois? Donc, elle a le feu ardent d'une Petrova, mais elle est aussi cette insécurisé devant cette *je tousse* pièce d'homme! LOL … Elijah et Katherine, c'est la compétition des mots, le sous-entendu des sens….Et, je te jure que je ne ris pas avec les scénarios que tu te fais dans ta tête avec les deux couples, tu devrais voir la mienne de tête … Non en faits, il est préférable que tu ne vois rien du tout! LOL … Merci chérie pour ton éternel support._

_**Guest: **__Who asked me to update. Thanks, sweetie, for liking this story so much, and encouraging me to update it. Unfortunately, sometimes my real life is calling me. I had some personal income taxes paper do to, and a lot of tasks in the house. Real life is unfortunately calling me over my writing sometimes … Sigh. Thanks for understanding. _


	6. For our marriage(s)

**SWEET KISSES FROM RUSSIA**

Fan Fiction – Alternate Universe

Caroline & Klaus

Elijah & Katherine

From:** Lovely Vero**

* * *

Chapter 6

"**For our marriage(s)****"**

Part 1

* * *

_**Previously on Sweet Kisses from Russia**_

_Unfortunately for Carolina, her future husband was extremely talented in his kissing skills. So much, that when he released his firm grip on her wrists, it was instinctively that her hands found their way around his neck, in the thickness of his hair, while grabbing two hands full of his tangled blondish curls._

_Klaus pushed his body on Carolina's, while slowly sliding his wandering hands on her waist, hips, lower back, before grabbing her bottom under her small moan of protestation, while kissing her passionately, in a mix of nibbling her wet lips and conquering her mouth with his tongue. The continuous sounds of her beating heart in his ears, melodious melody that reminded him of her delicious nectar running freely in her vein._

_Klaus finally pushed himself away from their embrace, before passing the back of his right hand on his mouth, to erase any trace of Carolina's scent on his skin._

"_Who needs frivolous feelings when we can have this sexual passion between us, Love?" He mockingly asked her. "At least something that we know that we'll be good at in our marriage, would you say?"_

_Carolina took several jerky breaths in her lungs, while raising a hand over her chest to calm herself down. She finally raised her head proudly to his sight, with tears filling her eyes, before storming out of the garage, while leaving Klaus behind with his tormented, demoniac soul as only companion._

* * *

_**You are cordially invited to the weddings' reception of:**_

_**Duke Elijah Mikaelson & Madam Katherine Pierce, Mikealson**_

_**And his sibling,**_

_**Duke Klaus Mikaelson and Madam Caroline Forbes, Mikealson**_

* * *

_Carolina thought she could almost feel the almonds scones under her fingers while trying to grab one from the bottom of a glass jar placed on the kitchen counter. This was a top secret KGB mission. Nothing less but this superior league would work under the careful watch of Maria, the__** Kitchen Terminator **__of this manor. She finally grabbed one, with the tip of her fingers, while smirking and thinking that this assigned nickname was actually sticking to perfection to the skin of the English governess. _

"_May I be of some assistance, Miss Carolina?" Maria asked, in a neutral tone of voice, while silently sneaking in the kitchen, behind the young woman._

_Carolina startled, while losing her grip on the scone, under a grunt of resignation, before turning to face the one and only: __**Kitchen Terminator**__._

"_No, thank you." She replied, exasperated, while sweeping her hands on her jeans. "I was simply hungry and looking for a snack."_

"_I perfectly understand, Miss Carolina, but you most know that I am at your service at all times. It is not your duty but mine, to serve you. I'll prepare you a sandwich if you want?" Maria suggested, while approaching the fridge._

"_No, I don't want a sandwich, I want an almonds scone." Carolina answered, while pointing a finger toward the jar and biting her bottom lip to not burst into anger in front of the severe English woman. "And I was capable of doing this task by myself."_

"_Very well, Miss Carolina, as you wish. But, it will be of my obligation to serve you." Maria replied, forced to obey, while opening a kitchen cabinet to take a small porcelain plate from one of the shelf. "Though, I believe that a consistent sandwich would be a better choice before getting ready for your wedding day, which could become quite exhausting and long."_

"_You hate me, don't you?" Carolina asked the governess, before crossing her arms in front of her chest, while stomping her bare right foot on the marble kitchen floor._

"_I'm sorry, Miss Carolina?" Maria exclaimed, in shock, while turning on herself, a hand placed over her chest. "Could you explain to me what made you come to such horrible assumption? Was I not respectful to you?"_

_Carolina suddenly lost all her colors, while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat. If she was perfectly honest with herself, all the nervousness of today had very little if not at all to do with Maria._

"_No." She replied shyly, while blushing._

"_Did I miss my governess obligations toward you, Miss Carolina?" Maria asked some more. _

"_No, no, and no." Caroline replied, this time more firmly. "It's this thing you do with your nose. You frown and you look at me like I don't know what I'm doing or talking about, and then you use that … That … You know that timber of voice, which sounds like a school teacher." _

_Maria smiled, before lowering her head to hide her amusement, while crossing her hands in front of her chest._

"_And now, you are obviously laughing at me." She added to the help._

"_No, I'm not. Please accept my deepest apologies for … __**My**__ timber of voice, Miss Carolina." Maria apologized, while raising her sight. "Unfortunately, my child, this timber of voice is called the __**English accent**__. It is most of time, pompous, pretentious, and inappropriate, but I have it since childhood and I don't think I'll be able to get rid of it."_

"_Oh…" Carolina replied, while sliding her hands in her back jeans pockets. "Right, so it's the way you spoke in general, not only to me, then?"_

"_It's the polite way that I was raised by my parents and at school to address myself to people in general, and my superiors at work, Miss Carolina." Maria nodded._

"_I'm sorry; I made a fool of myself." Carolina replied, while shaking her head. "I have no right to attack you this way."_

"_On the contrary, Miss Carolina, I thank you for bringing your discomfort to my attention." Maria replied, before pushing toward Caroine, the small porcelain plate with two almonds scones placed on it. _

"_Thank you." Carolina smiled, while grabbing one of the scones, before biting full teeth into it. _

"_I'm thinking that, perhaps, the nervousness of the day is taking the best of your strength?" Maria asked, with one raised eyebrow. _

_Carolina shrugged her shoulders, while avoiding looking at the governess in the eyes._

"_I don't know how … I don't know how to think or how to act, today?" She finally admitted. "I've never been married before. My sister is trying to guide me, but she never been married either."_

"_I see." Maria replied, while tilting her head. "Maybe you don't need to think or act; maybe you just need to enjoy yourself, while taking time to know your future husband."_

"_Maybe…" She replied the governess, while shrugging her shoulders some more, before raising her sight in Maria's. "What kind of men are they? I mean… How do you portray them in your head?"_

"_I'm in a very delicate position to answer this question." Maria replied, while sighing._

"_Never mind, then." Carolina said, while shaking her head. "You're right."_

"_But, I believe because of the lack of a motherly presence by your side today, you deserve at least an answer." Maria replied, while seeing a smile bless Carolina's lips. "They are both respectful men, with much righteousness and strength inside of them. Mister Elijah is more old fashion, in opposite, Mister Klaus is more of a free spirit. They both have something in common, though, a high appreciation for family, and they are usually respectful to their staff members."_

"_Thank you." Carolina murmured, appreciatively._

"_You're welcome, Miss Carolina." Maria replied, while turning on herself before opening a drawer and grabbing a small gift box from its inside. "Please accept this small gift as a good luck charm for your wedding day, my child."_

"_It's for me?" Carolina exclaimed, in surprise, before grabbing the box and pulling on the yellow ribbon to open it. _

"_It's a blue handkerchief with your maiden initials __**"C"**__ and __**"P"**__ woven on it." Maria explained._

"_It's quite beautiful." Carolina replied, while pulling the handkerchief out of the box, with tears filling her eyes. "Thank you." She murmured, while nodding her head to the governess._

"_You're quite welcome." Maria replied, smiling._

_Carolina walked toward the kitchen swinging doors, holding immobile for a few seconds, her right hand placed on one of the panel, before turning her sight toward Maria._

"_Your accent is not that bad after all, I could get used to it." She teased the governess._

"_Well, it's certainly good news for me to hear, Miss Carolina." Maria smiled in return. "And, if I may… Miss Carolina?" _

"_Yes?" Carolina answered, while pushing the door, before taking a last glimpse at the governess._

"_Don't forget to wear some shoes today." Maria mocked._

* * *

_Katerina posed in front of the length mirror, one hand firmly placed on the right side of her waist crucible while twisting her head and torso to take a look at the back of her wedding dress: a long row of delicate pearl-buttons over a long train made in the most exquisite fabric of Italian satin. _

_This extravagant purchase on this single article, and expensive splurge on herself had cost her future husband: __**eight thousand pounds,**__ and just repeating this amount of money in her head was enough to make it spine. Strange enough, Elijah had stayed stoic and emotionless in front of the global amount of money she had spent in one single day of shopping in central London._

_A discreet cough made her turn on herself before facing __**Maria**__, the governess, who was standing on the threshold of the walk-in closet, with her hands crossed in front of her chest._

"_Can I be or service, Madam, before taking an hour off my working time to get ready for yours, and your sister's weddings?" She politely asked the young woman, while nodding her head in respect._

"_Would it be too much to ask you to help me? I think one of the buttons in the back of my dress is unattached?"Katerina asked the governess, as a favor._

"_Of course not, I'll certainly help you with that task, Madam." Maria answered, politely, while approaching Katerina's position in front of the mirror, before attaching the said delicate button. "You are very beautiful, and the dress is quite exquisite." She added, while addressing a smile to Katerina, in the mirror._

"_You think? Thank you." Katerina replied, shyly. "The dress is maybe a bit much to wear for the town hall?" _

"_I'm not the one to judge." Maria replied, before adding. "But, it's your wedding day after all, Madam, how can it be too much in this special occasion?"_

"_I'm not used to this opulence." She tried to explain, while shrugging her shoulders, before passing her hands nervously on the silk fabric of her dress. "But I fell in love with the fabric; it's so soft on my skin."_

"_I'm certain that Mister Mikaelson was more than happy to offer you this luxury. He's a very strict, wealthy man, but also a kind one." Maria added, before handing a small gift box to Katerina._

"_What is this?" Katerina asked, surprised, while grabbing the small box from Maria's hands._

"_Nothing really fancy, Madam, it's a simple token of my gratitude for inviting me to your wedding." Maria explained, while crossing her arms behind her back._

"_You should address this to my fiance." Katerina stated, before blushing at her own saying. Naming Elijah her fiance seemed unreal even as of today, their wedding day. "I mean it should be Mister Mikaelson that you should thank, not me." _

"_It's in good form and respect to offer my best wishes to the future bride. I did, of course, present the same gift to your sister." Maria added as an explanation for her action._

_Katerina glanced at Maria before pulling the yellow ribbon and opening the gift box. Inside, a beautiful, lace, blue handkerchief, woven with her first and last name initials: __**"K" and "P."**_

"_It's beautiful." Katerina exclaimed, tears filling her eyes, while taking the delicate handkerchief out of the box._

"_Well, I'm grateful that you are pleased with this small gesture, Madam. I thought that something __**blue, old and borrowed **__could certainly bring you good luck on your wedding day, your dress being the __**new**__, of course. And the woven initials would be a souvenir of your life as a celibate woman. " Maria explained, while regaining her formal self._

"_Thank you … Old? I don't want to take something from your hands that is a family heirloom or something?" Katerina replied, while shaking her head, before folding the handkerchief back into the box and handing it to the governess. "I know how precious those souvenirs are." _

"_No, please, Madam, I can assure you there is more from where this one came from." She replied to Katerina, while closing both of her hands on hers._

"_Thank you, then…I'll have it on me today." She replied, while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat. Even if the Mikaelson's governess had always acted in a very strict, English kind of old fashion way, she had always been very respectful to Katerina and her sister since their arrival._

"_If I can't be of any service, I will leave you now, Madam. I wish you a lot of happiness on your wedding day." Maria announced, formally, while nodding her head in respect, before turning on her heels to leave the walk-in closet. She suddenly stopped her walking path, before lowering her sight on the carpet, with a smile twisting the corners of her lips. "Beautiful shoes, Madam." She added, while looking at the white, exquisite, wedding shoes._

"_You think?" Katerina said, proudly. "They told me at the boutique that these shoes were Lou…Lou something… It's a well-known designer?"Katerina mumbled, before shaking her head, and biting her bottom lip, while not remembering the correct appellation. _

"_Louboutin shoes, Madam. It's a prestigious, well known, worldwide luxury designer shoe. You can recognize the mark trend by the red sole underneath." Maria explained, to the young Russian woman, with a hint of amusement in the voice._

"_Well…They are certainly costing a fortune to my future husband." Katerina added, smirking, while shrugging her shoulders._

"_Well it is a luxury that I would certainly grant myself one day, if I could." Maria replied, with a discreet wink._

"_They are four inches tall." She replied, proudly to the governess._

"_I see." Maria nodded, while trying to hold her laughter. "Well, do not worry too much about the height of the shoes, Madam; I think your future husband will still be an inch taller than you." She added, before leaving Katerina speechless and motionless in the middle of the walk-in closet._

_Damn! She should have gone for the five inches style…_

* * *

"_What is this?" Katerina exclaimed in anger, while bursting into Elijah's study room, in a slam noise of the door, holding in one hand an invitation card and the skirts of her wedding dress with the other._

"_I wish you a good day too, Katerina." Elijah replied, while keeping his sight fixated on an open file placed on his desktop. "It's our wedding day, hopefully you did not forget?" He added, while raising his sight, before startling at the angelic vision that suddenly appeared in front of his eyes._

"_You don't say?" She replied, slyly, while fuming with rage, both of her closed fists firmly placed on each side of her waist._

_Elijah slowly rise on his legs, before taking slow, calculated steps to reach his fiancée standing position. A few buttons of his man shirt opened on his muscular chest, the sleeves rolled on his forearms, with his hands firmly placed inside his trousers' front pockets._

"_You look beautiful." He whispered, while sliding his appreciative sight on her wedding dress. "You're breathtaking actually, a real vision." He added, truthfully, while raising his right hand to slowly caress the softness of her left cheek._

_She closed her eyes for a few second, while feeling a range of delightful shivers hitting her spine, before feeling his breath caressing her right earlobe, his head suddenly so close of hers._

"_Katerina…" He said, while rolling the "R" on his tongue, in a velvety whispered sound, before sliding a strand of her hair behind her left ear. "You must know that it is said bad luck for the fiance to see his future bride in her wedding dress?"_

_Her eyelids slowly opened, before losing her sight in Elijah's, under the strong effect of his presence near her trembling body._

"_You're trembling, are you cold?" He asked, in a worried tone of voice, before stroking the lengths of her bare arms with his opened palms, helping her blood recirculate in her body._

"_I'm fine!" She replied, before backing away from him with the right heel of her shoe stuck in the carpet. She would have lost her balance in the process, if not for Elijah's quickness of mind to bring her against his chest, both of his hands firmly placed on each side of her waist._

"_Are you ok?" He murmured, his head leaning on hers._

"_Yes." She mumbled, between her teeth. "I'm ok."_

"_Nice shoes." He added, smirking, while lowering his head to take a quick glimpse at the Louboutins. "Be careful walking with these shoes, you could injure your ankles one day if you keep wearing high heels. Is it really worth it, Katerina, to reach my height?" He mocked, implying that he perfectly knew the reason of her stubbornness on the subject._

"_Yes!" She replied, firmly. "And, I know how to walk in high heels shoes, thank you for your concerns, Elijah." She added, angrily, before backing away for the second time. "As for bad luck on our wedding day, this should certainly suffice." She busted, while throwing the invitation card in his face._

_Elijah glanced at her for a few seconds, before sighing loudly and bending his upper body to grab the card which had felt on the carpet._

"_What? You don't like the coloring of the paper? Pink would have pleased you better I suppose?" He replied, sharply, while turning on his heels and walking to take his sitting position back at his desk._

"_You promised __**equality**__, __**respect**__, and __**truthfulness**__ in this arranged marriage, are you really the man of honor you told me you were? Or was it only a beautiful speech presented to what you thought in your head was a stupid girl?" Katerina asked, while gesturing with her hands and arms._

"_Hot tempered, stubborn, a volcano in irruption, that __**you**__ certainly are, but stupid, I've never thought even for a second that you were. As for my reputation, I am known to mankind to be a man of honor, yes." He reaffirmed. "What is this tantrum really about, Katerina?" He asked, firmly._

"_бог!" __**God**__, she swore in Russian, while grabbing her hair with both hands. "And you have the audacity to ask me, when you perfectly know what this is all about." She replied to him._

"_You know that swearing in Russian will not ease your mood." He noticed, while shaking his head. "As for the reason of your… indisposition, I have a good idea, yes." He replied, while narrowing his sight on her. _

"_Well, perfect then, Duke Mikaelson!" She exclaimed, while walking to reach the front edge of the desk, while standing in near proximity of his sitting one. "So, I'll go change into something more casual than this wedding dress that I am wearing, to present myself at your wedding with…What was the name on the invitation card?" She asked, while grabbing the card thrown on his desktop. "Oh yes: __**Miss Katherine Pierce**__, because this woman is certainly not me!" She yelled, while bending her upper body over Elijah's desk, each of her opened palms placed on each side of her body, directly on the desk top. _

_Elijah kept his fiery eyes in hers, before sensually lowering his sight on her bare shoulders, lower on the silkiness of her neckline skin, before ending his descent on the roundness of her breasts, a smile of appreciation twisting the sides of his lips._

_She blushed, before strengthening her upper body, and crossing her arms in front of her chest, as a protection mechanism._

"_I've told you before, Katerina, this is a legal arrangement between us, with multiple clauses." He explained, while rising on his legs. "Yes, you're entitled to a lot of freedom in our marriage, but certain crucial decisions that I'll make regarding our mutual agreement are not of your concerns." He added, while pointing a finger at her._

"_My own name is not of my concern?" She busted at him. "Since when did you reach that conclusion? I'm proud of my Russian origins, Elijah, and I won't let you dictate so easily who I should be. I'll prepare my luggage; we'll go back to Russia, the sooner will be the better." She added, before raising the skirts of her wedding dress, turning on her heels, with the obvious intention of leaving Elijah's office._

_He grabbed Katerina by her right wrist, while pulling her forcefully near his chest, before holding her prisoner with both of her arms crossed behind her back, his face leaning at a near inch of hers._

"_Instead of being moody, we could instead practice the kiss after our "__**I do**__"?" He tried to mock to relax the atmosphere between them._

"_Let me go, and in the meantime go kiss your new fiancee __**Katherine**__!" She replied, angrily._

"_Stop acting so foolishly, you're going nowhere, woman." He replied, at a near inch of her face. "Before the day is over you'll be __**"my wife"**__! Is this clear to you?" He ordered her._

"_Oh, yes, and who's saying so?" Katerina replied, while raising her chin, as a confrontational gesture._

"_Me…I said so! Therefore, enter this information in your tick skull and stubborn head of yours." He warned her. "You and your sister will change your names for security purposes. We are powerful men, in this world, Katerina, and with this responsibly come its load of enemies. I don't want any of those enemies to figure out your origins or that Carolina is your sister. And I certainly don't want them to harm you in the future."_

"_You were able to certainly figure out my past and the one of my sister, what's making you think that your enemies are not as intelligent as you are?" She lashed out more, while raising one of her eyebrow at him._

"_Touché, my dear" He smirked, while sliding his appreciate sight on her. "See, you're not stupid, Katerina." He added, while raising one eyebrow of his own. "Except for thinking that one of my enemies could win any battle over me."_

"_Well, a girl can only dream. Now, let go of me!" She yelled, while squirming to free herself away from his imprisonment, but without reaching such luck."_

"_Are you listening to me, woman?" He yelled, himself, while grabbing both of her shoulders, making Katerina suddenly startled with fear._

"_Yes." She finally responded, breathless, her eyes lost in his. _

"_Good!" He approved. "These new given names could never erase your origins or make you something that you are not, don't you put that silliness in your head. This technicality had the only purpose to protect both you and your sister. Do you understand what I am explaining to you, Katerina?" He demanded again._

"_Yes." She replied, for the second time. "I'm not stupid."_

"_Good!" He repeated, before slowly releasing his grip on her shoulders, before walking toward the opposite side of the desk. "I'll go change in a short while; we'll see each other again at the town hall, where both the formalities of the name change and our marriage will take place." _

_Katerina frowned, while abruptly turning on her heels, before walking toward the French doors of her fiance's office. The sooner she'll be out of Elijah's study room, the sooner she'll be able to let go of the contained rage inside of her. Damn this man and his superiority!_

"_Katerina?" He called the name, making her held her pace, while staying motionless in front of the doors, with her right hand placed on the handle._

"_Shouldn't you say __**Katherine**__ instead, Elijah?" She asked, tit for tat, without turning her head to look at him._

"_You'll always be __**Katerina **__to me … Now and forever." He added, with a timid smile._

* * *

_Carolina placed the several skirts of her wedding dress on her bare, long legs, before raising her sight and suddenly startling at Klaus's reflection in the full length mirror._

"_Snooping on people is one of your things I suppose?" Carolina asked, while raising her chin in a confrontational gesture._

"_You're not __**people**__ to me, Love; you're soon to be my better half." He replied sarcastically, while smirking and crossing his arms in front of his chest before leaning the right side of his body on the arch door of the walk-in closet._

_He was, himself, already dressed, while wearing an impeccable three pieces man suit, with only his silk tie undone around his neck._

"_I'll be the better half of you? Mm…" She repeated, mockingly, while raising an eyebrow. "That is certainly an ascertainment that I can believe." She added, while passing her hands on the silk fabric of her expensive wedding dress._

"_You tongue is moving at the speed of your mind, sweetheart, I was not asking for less on our wedding day." He mocked, while sliding his fiery sight on her body. _

"_I want to keep you entertained; I don't want us to become an old couple before our time, Klaus." She replied, slyly, while narrowing her sight in Klaus's._

"_Touché, my dear Carolina." Klaus responded, amused, before lowering his head and busting into loud laughter. "You're already lighting up my day." He added, while taking a few walking steps to reach her standing position, before placing himself in her back and lowering his head in the hollow of her left shoulder, slowly raising his mouth near her earlobe before murmuring. "I can only imagine what you'll do to brighten up our wedding night?" _

_Carolina startled, before raising her chin and holding her gaze in Klaus's. _

"_Isn't it said that only an experienced lover can bring a woman to flourish in her sensuality?" She replied, tit for tat._

"_Do you doubt that fact about me, Love?" He smirked, while passing the tip of his fingers in the hollows of her bare shoulders._

"_Big talk, no action… Most of the men are actually like that." She replied, while shrugging her shoulders, under a range of jerky breaths. If only he could stop touching her skin that way …_

"_Are you asking me to prove you how competent I am in that area of expertise, Carolina?" He whispered, amused, his lips near her ear, while slowly nibbling on her earlobe. "Aren't you afraid of arriving very late to your own weeding? I don't do quickies. It's not the way I operate. I like to make the woman beg for more."_

"_No! … I, I'm not! I'm just noticing that you seem quite sure of yourself and your abilities to seduce a woman that is __**not, even, in love with you**__." She replied, while blushing, before adding. "If you could leave me alone now, please, I need to get ready."_

"_Oh but, Love, you don't get a man worked up with sex talk, only to let him down, after." He protested, smirking, sliding his hands on her hips, before bringing her shaking body on his muscular chest, while encircling her tiny waist with his hands and arms, his lips slowly sliding on the silkiness of her neck._

"_Let me go, I need to get ready, Klaus." She pleaded, breathless, while trying to untie his hands, firmly placed on her waist, but without succeeding. _

"_Getting ready? You're already wearing your wedding dress." He mocked. "If not for the exception of the missing shoes… like always, Cinderella."_

"_Don't you know that it is considered bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?" She tried to argue some more, without believing one single word of her own say._

"_That is a bowl of crap, Love! You're like me; you don't believe one word of this nonsense." He murmured, while softly biting the tender base of her neck. "Plus, I look more forward of seeing you undressed…I would gladly marry you naked." He mocked, smirking._

"_What makes you think that I am ready? I'm, barely, trying to get to know the stranger that you are to me, Klaus. Why would I be in a hurry to jump into bed with you?" She tried to battle her feelings and her way out of this dangerous situation, while feeling his hands slide downward, on the length of her legs, in top of her silk skirt, before reaching the hem of the wedding dress._

_He raised her many skirts on her legs, with extreme dexterity, while touching the bare skin of her thighs just above the lace suspenders, before sliding the zipper of her dress down in her back … Slowly, sensually, erotically, the tip of his fingers sliding on the silkiest part of her body, like a musician on the strings of his instrument._

_Damn this man and his extreme "Savoir faire"! Carolina lowered her head on his chest, while closing her eyes, mouth opened, with pleasurable moaning sounds suddenly caressing her sudden luscious lips. _

"_What makes me think that you're ready to be in my bed?" He whispered, while teasing her, before sliding his right hand under her dress to cup one of her breasts. "The beatings of your heart are always rising dangerously when I am near you, your lips become fuller… You always bite your bottom one, in a secret code for me to kiss you." He murmured more, while suddenly turning her body around to face him, raising Carolina in his arms, his hands firmly placed under her bottom, before pushing her body on the walk-in mirror placed behind them._

"_Klaus we can't!" She murmured, breathless, while grabbing two hands full of his golden hair, his lips now devouring every inch of skin on her neckline, down on the curves of her breasts._

"_You have avoided me all week, since the last time we've kissed in the garage, why, Carolina?" He mumbled, almost incoherently, while raising his fiery eyes in her gaze, before lowering his lips and softly nibbling on her bottom length._

"_I'm scare of you." She replied; with her trembling lips murmuring the words in top of Klaus's. _

"_Are you scared of me or are you more scared of yourself? Afraid of the woman you could become in my arms, in my bed, while becoming my wife, Love?" He asked, sensually, while passing his thumb on the length of her bottom lips. "I have so much to teach you…"_

"_Put me down, please?" She begged him, her chest heaving under her jerky breaths._

_Klaus lowered her shaking legs on the carpet, before placing his hands on her waist to help Carolina keep her balance. _

"_Are you able to stand?" He asked, half serious, half teasing._

"_Yes." She replied, proudly. "Of course I am able to stand." She added, while pulling her wedding dress on her chest, before facing the mirror, her hands in her hair._

_What she saw in that said mirror took her by surprise: her tangled sex hair, her swollen lips, her burning eyes, her pink cheeks. She shook her head, while taking deep breaths. This sensual encounter didn't mean anything… It was just a sudden weakness of her part._

"_Could you … "She started. "Could you zip me up, please?"_

_Klaus oblige to her request, while smirking at her blushing reflection in the mirror._

"_What man would care about a feeling as frivolous as "__**love"**__ when he can have a woman who obviously desires him as much as he desires her?" He murmured near her left ear, a satisfied smile plastered on his lips. _

_She slowly turned on herself, before drowning her sight in his._

"_A man that doesn't seem to even know what __**"love"**__ even means." She replied, slyly._

_Klaus lost his mile in a fraction of second, while sighing loudly, his sight narrowed on her, before closing his fists in anger. _

_He suddenly turned on himself, while lowering his upper body to grab her wedding shoes left on the carpet, before handing the pair to Carolina._

"_Don't forget to put your shoes." He simply said, toneless, while avoiding her sight. "I'll wait for you downstairs." He added, before walking out of the walk-in closet, leaving Carolina alone and breathless._

* * *

_Katherina rushed into the parlor room, while raising the skirts of her wedding dress in her hands. She reached the bar console, before lowering her head, closing her eyes and sighing loudly, while trying to catch her breath. She grabbed one of the Vodka bottles, before pouring herself a full glass and drinking its content in one single gulp, coughing a second later under the strong effect of the alcohol in her throat._

"_Drunk, already, even before marrying Elijah?" She heard a male voice addressed to her. "My bad, I always thought that the drunkenness part only came after years of marriage?"_

_Katerina startled hard, before turning on herself, one hand placed over her chest._

"_I'm sorry…." She mumbled, while shaking her head, her right hand placed on her forehead. "I did not see you sitting there." _

"_I've noticed, my dear." A middle age man responded, before rising on his legs from his sitting position in one of leather armchairs. "So, you are Miss Katerina Petrova … Russian girl, or should I say, private Russian escort?" The man added, with a pernicious smile, while approaching Katerina's standing position. He had the same demeanor and gentleman manners than Elijah, but his sight was colder and his all aura, much darker._

"_Who are you?" She asked, while losing all coloring in her cheeks._

"_He always had this obsession for brunettes. He was in love before with a woman that could have been the spitting image of you, my dear, **Tatia** was her name." The man continued explaining, while raising a hand to caress her left cheek._

_Katerina took a few steps back while avoiding his hand._

"_Playing hard to get, as I can see, __**Katerina**__? That is probably what drew him to you." He said, smirking. "Maybe, after he is done with you, I could require your escort services?" He added, perniciously._

"_Or I could grab you by the scruff of your bones, pull your poisoned heart out of your chest, and leave you in the cold for the wolves to finish your carcass." They both heard Elijah addressed the man, while entering the parlour room. "What are you doing here, father?" Elijah asked, under the speechless expression of Katerina._

* * *

_Thank you for reading this chapter my faithful readers; it was certainly a joy to enter the wedding part of this story._

_As I mentioned often, you need to be patient with the updates. I'm running three (3) fictions at the same time, and in-between personal life, family and day to day tasks, I can't write each day. And sometimes, the inspiration is not with us, writers. Thanks for your comprehension, guys._

_Till the next update, take care and… Love you all,_

_Lovely Vero_

_**Answers to anonymous reviews**__**:**_

_**Courtney: **__Thanks for your kind appreciation of this story sweetie … Here is the sixth chapter! I hope you will enjoy it a lot._

_**Guest: **__Thank you for your nice review, sweetie. Oh don't worry … Klaus will figure out she is a virgin alright … Just wait for the wedding night._

_**Guest2: **__Thanks for appreciating both couples in this story. Yes, Klaus will figure out a lot of things about Carolina…Just wait and see._

_**Ilovetvd: **__LOL … You know, sweetie, I know you love my fictions, so I won't take personally that you hate Klaus jerkiness in this one … LOL …. Thanks, as always for the review._

_**Justine the star! : **__Ne me dis surtout pas que je ne fais pas d'effort pour t'annoncer? LOL… Alors là ma chérie … La lune de miel … Elle aura autant de moments drôle, que de moments embarrassants, laisse-moi te dire cela. Merci pour ta présence chérie! _


	7. For our marriage(s) - Part II

**Guys, I'm experimenting HELL at the moment because of several problems with the site, so I'll try to upload this chapter one more time tonight ... Hopefully, crossing my fingers. THANKS!**

* * *

**SWEET KISSES FROM RUSSIA**

Fan Fiction – Alternate Universe

Caroline & Klaus

Elijah & Katherine

From:** Lovely Vero**

* * *

Chapter 7

"**For our marriage(s)"**

**Part 2**

* * *

_**Previously on Sweet Kisses from Russia**_

_**(…)**_

"_I've noticed, my dear." A middle age man responded, before rising on his legs from his sitting position in one of leather armchairs. "So, you are Miss Katerina Petrova … Russian girl, or should I say, private Russian escort?" The man added, with a pernicious smile, while approaching Katerina's standing position. He had the same demeanor and gentleman manners than Elijah, but his sight was colder and his all aura, much darker._

"_Who are you?" She asked, while losing all coloring in her cheeks._

"_He always had this obsession for brunette. He was in love before with a woman that could have been the spitting image of you, my dear, Tatia was her name." The man continued, while raising a hand to caress her left cheek._

_Katerina took a few steps back while avoiding the man's hand._

"_Playing hard to get, as I can see, __**Katerina**__? That is probably what drew him to you." He said, smirking. "Maybe, after he is done with you, I could require your escort services?" He added, perniciously._

"_Or I could grab you by the scruff of your bones, pull your poisoned heart out of your chest, and leave you in the cold for the wolves to finish your carcass." They both heard Elijah addressed the man, while entering the parlor room. "What are you doing here, father?" Elijah asked, under the speechless expression of Katerina._

* * *

"_Well, how can one father not present himself and his good wishes to the future bride at the marriage of his eldest son?" Mikael replied, while burying both hands in his trousers' pockets, his sight drown in the one of Elijah._

"_You weren't invited, father, and you are not wanted in these walls either." Elijah mumbled, angrily, between his teeth. "I'm asking you to leave." He ordered him._

"_Are you ready for such commitment as the one of marriage, my dear, with a controlling and ordering man like my son?" Mikael asked Katerina, while turning his sight toward the young woman. "Though, I suppose a large amount of money came as compensation for your services, or am I mistaken?" He demanded. "But, then again, you must be very experimented in bed with your background as a private escort, for my son to even think of marrying such a low class woman, such as yourself; no disrespect intended, we all do what we have to do to survive in this miserable life."_

"_That's enough!" Elijah yelled. "You'll respect Katerina, under my roof, or you'll leave. Don't make me use force to get you out of my house, father."_

_Mikael disregard Elijah words while taking a few additional steps to place himself in front of Katerina, his eyes in search of finding the deepness of her soul._

"_Poor Russian girl, you have no idea what future is awaiting you. You don't know all the deep, dark secrets that your fiancé is forbidding you to see; you have no idea that one day your mortal life will spiral into your own descent in hell, by his hands." He explained, a devious smile blessing his lips._

_Katerina raised her teary eyes in the ones of the villain man who stood immobile in front of her sight, soon to be called her father-in-law, her mind suddenly in a deep blur of this strange and disrespectful encounter. She felt dirty in the worst ways possible, all of a sudden, and terribly sick in the depths of her stomach._

"_If you would excuse-me…" She managed to mumble, while dragging her shoes and unbalanced path toward the french doors of the parlor room, before passing by Elijah's standing position._

_He forcefully grabbed her right forearm, before slowly sliding his hand on the length of her bare skin, on her delicate wrist, interlacing his fingers with hers a second later._

"_My wife stays by my side, Katerina, as I'll stay by her side." He said, while drowning his sight in hers. "I want you out of this house; Mikael, this will be the last time I'll order you to leave." Elijah repeated, before turning his cold glance toward his father._

"_Very well, I'll oblige this time, Elijah." He agreed, smirking, while pulling on his blazer's sleeves, before adding. "By the way, my dear, if you think that my legitimate son will become your worst nightmare, you should seriously think about your own sister, which future will be gloomier in so many more ways than yours, considering that she is marrying the bastard of my wife' wombs, or if you prefer to call him: the beast." He added, before nodding his head, and greeting her. "Until our next…Encounter, my dear."_

_His footsteps echoed on the marble floor, before completely leaving the space of her troubled mind._

"_Let me go." She mumbled the words, while pulling on Elijah's firm grip on her hand. "Let me go!" She yelled this time around, while hitting his chest with her left fist._

"_Katerina, you need to calm down!" He ordered her, while grabbing both of her wrists, before pushing them both toward the wall behind her back. "Do not listen to my father; he is a twisted, sick man with a dark past."_

"_No, no, no … I want to leave … I made a mistake, where's my sister?" She yelled, incoherently, tears rolling freely on her cheeks._

"_Katerina, look at me, look into my eyes." Elijah demanded, while grabbing her chin in his hand to force her to stare into the deepness of his soul. "That is what he wanted for you to feel, he wanted for the strong foundation under your feet to move, don't let him succeed."_

"_I want out of the deal." She begged, breathless, her mascara running under her eyes. "Let me leave with my sister."_

"_And you will go back to what, Katerina, a life of misery? I thought you wanted more for your sister, and deep down for yourself?" Elijah asked her, more troubled that he would admit to himself at the thought of seeing this woman, his future promised wife, disappear from his life. "Don't cry…Please don't cry." He begged, while passing the back of his hands on her wet cheeks. "I can't bear the thought of seeing you cry in front of my sight, woman."_

"_Why does it matter to you, if I cry or not, was it forbidden in the contract?" She asked, slyly, while raising her swollen eyes into his, tears continuously rolling on her face, her trembling lips murmuring the words. "Call the agency, they … They'll send you two other women to marry."_

"_I don't want another woman; my mind is set on __**you**__." He replied, in an ordering voice._

"_I'll find a way to reimburse every dime that I owe you, I swear." She added._

"_How will you reimburse the cost of an eight thousands pounds wedding dress, by sleeping with more men that you could handle, Katerina?" Elijah asked, offensive._

"_You're a bastard!" She managed to whispered, while closing her fists in anger. "Well, thank you for confirming that you really are your father's son, Duke Mikaelson." She replied, while raising her face streaming with tears._

"_I'm sorry… I'm sorry…Forgive me…" He whispered, while shaking his head in disbelief of his own say to her, ricochet effect of his father presence. He lowered his forehead on hers, his hands letting go of her wrists, slowly rising on her bare, silky arms, on the roundness of her shoulders, before caressing their crucible, creating a range of intense shivers in her spine. "Stay, Katerina … Please stay…" He begged in a low murmur._

"_Why?" She asked, while raising her trembling eyelashes in his stare._

"_Because …" He whispered, while sliding the tip of his fingers on her trembling lips. "I want you to stay, isn't it enough of a reason, woman?" He added, while lowering his head near hers. "I want __**you**__ to become my wife. And I don't need a piece of paper or my father to justify or deny what I already know."_

"_And what is it that you know?" She asked, breathless, with the sound of her rising heartbeats in her ears._

"_That you're __**mine**__." He confessed, his fingers playing with a strand of Katerina's hair. "And you'll never again belong to another man than me."_

"_Well, you bought me after all. Isn't it the best way to own something or someone?" She murmured the words on her trembling lips, her stare lost in Elijah's, her chest rising under her jerky breaths._

"_Perhaps, Katerina, or perhaps there is something more between us, that we are not ready to face." He replied, his lips slowly capturing hers under her sudden moan of surprise, while sliding his hands around her tiny waist to bring her in full contact with his muscular chest._

_Elijah sensually raised both of his hands on the nakedness of her back, his right now firmly placed at the base of her neck, while deepening the intensity of their exchanged kiss with his tongue invading the warmth of her mouth, before joining hers in an intense twirling of intense sensual sensations._

_Katerina felt her head spinning under his sensual assault, grasping for air under his demanding mouth, before slowly raising her hands on his jacket, while grabbing each side to hold her equilibrium on her shaking legs._

_He detached his mouth of her trembling lips, under her panting breaths, before taking a step away from her standing position, while still keeping a firm grip on her with both of his hands placed on each side of her hips._

"_I'm sorry; Katerina. The kiss was not planned or intended to prove my superiority over you. I did not lie when I've previously said to you that I wanted for us to be equal in this marriage." Elijah explained, while sighing loudly._

"_What was it intended for then?" She relied, while catching her breath and raising her sight in his._

"_It was meant to satisfy my sudden need to kiss your lips." He replied, smiling. "They are a real temptation when you look at them." He added, while passing the tip of his right thumb on her bottom lip, before slowly bending his head near hers, his right hand sliding on her neckline before grabbing the back of her neck to bring Katerina in a nearer proximity, his lips touching her right earlobe in an almost unperceived caress. "But they are even more of a temptation after having kissing them."_

_She closed her eyes, breathless, while almost losing her balance, completely lost in his seductive spell. If she was not more careful, this powerful man would control her in no time, and she could not allow this to happen. She had promised herself all of her life, that not a single man would ever have this power over her._

"_Be careful." He murmured, while encircling her waist to help Katerina keep her balance. "You could easily fell." He added with his sight lost in hers. "See you may need me after all, as your husband, if only to catch you." He mocked._

"_It's the shoes." She replied, lying through her teeth, and mostly disturbed by his arrogance, before stepping away from Elijah. "I just lost my balance for a quick moment."_

"_Of course, it is the shoes, Katerina." He responded, smirking. "I would not have the pretension of thinking that it could be my kisses that are making your head turn and lose your balance." He mocked some more, before turning on himself, his hands buried in his pants' pockets._

"_I've kissed men before, Elijah." She replied, slyly, while raising her chin, and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You are far from being the first one."_

"_Yes, I believe that, Katerina, but none of them were __**me, **__were they?" He replied, while turning on himself to face her. "Nevertheless, I can assure you that this close proximity won't happen again in a near future. I've promised that I would give you time, and I'll keep my promise to you."_

_Katerina startled at his say, while blushing, before turning her head at the discreet coughing of Maria, who had just entered the parlor room._

"_Yes, Maria?" Elijah asked, while raising his head toward the governess._

"_I'm so sorry to disturb you, Mister Mikaelson, Madam, but I was wondering if I could be of assistance before leaving for your wedding?" Maria replied, while nodding her head in respect._

"_Katerina had a … She had a moment, would you be so kind to accompany my fiancée to her suite, she'll need to powder her noise before __**the wedding**__?" Elijah replied, while keeping his sight drown in the one of his future wife. "Let us know when the limousine will arrive, would you?"_

"_Certainly, sir, I'll do as you wish." Maria replied, politely._

"_Maybe I won't be present at this wedding, __**Duke Mikaelson**__?" Katerina whispered, for his ears only, while raising her chin in a confrontational gesture._

"_We both know that you'll be present, and that you will marry me, Katerina." He murmured, confident, near her right ear, while bending his head near hers. "Don't forget that I can buy you a lot of expensive shoes." He smirked._

"_You seem pretty sure of yourself, Duke, I guess only time will tell, then." She replied, a timid smile blessing her lips._

_Katerina turned her head toward Maria, before raising her wedding dress skirts, and leaving the parlor room in the company of the governess._

* * *

"_What is your master plan now, Kol?" Rebekah asked, sighing, before arriving in front of the entrance door of the manor. "Neither of our demented brothers invited us to this double weddings' masquerade."_

"_I thought I was the demented one?" Kol smirked. "You've just crushed my pride, sister."_

"_As demented goes, you're in a league of your own, brother." She replied, slyly, with a sour expression._

"_Aren't you the eternal charming one?" Kol replied, while strengthening his upper body and pulling on his blazer' sleeves. "You should be excited to meet you future sisters-in-law? I know I am." He added, mockingly._

"_I could give a damn about those women that are probably as insipid and ignorant as you can find. I'm just wondering who they are, and from which royal families they came from?"_

"_Oh look at you, sister, looking as superficial as ever!" Kol mocked. "How do I look by the way?"_

_Rebekah rolled her eyes, while acting indifferent at the enormous ego expression of her brother._

"_Aren't you finding this all secrecy weddings a bit odd? Plus, I could easily vision Elijah being married, being the pappy that he is and all, but Klaus?" She asked, dumbfounded. "I was not even aware that one single woman on this earth hasn't yet succumbed to his charm, or should I say compulsion?"_

"_We're about to find out, sister dearest." Kol replied, while leaving his finger on the doorbell._

_The continuous and repetitive chime sound of the manor's entrance resounded in Maria's ears like a bad omen. .She finally reached the handle before opening the door on its visitors._

_Kol and Rebekah stood silent in front of her sight for a few seconds, while swallowing a nervous lump in their throats._

"_Maria, my favorite governess in the entire world, you are looking as lovely as ever, and as beautiful as a rose." Kol, the youngest of the Mikaelson brothers, snapped out of it, with a seductive smile blessing his lips and his right palm placed in front of his heart._

"_Oh for God sake, Kol, just shut up!" Rebekah, the baby sister, exclaimed, while rolling her eyes, with her arms firmly crossed in front of her chest. "Good day Maria, are our beloved older brothers present in the manor at this moment?" She asked, without other formalities._

"_Well, good day to you also, Miss Mikaelson, I was not aware of your upcoming visit." Maria responded, dumbfounded, while seeing Kol pass the threshold._

"_You know us, Maria; we love to show ourselves for a surprise visit at every chance that we get." Kol responded, while blinking an eye, before presenting his right cheek to her. "You want to give me a kiss?"_

"_It's highly not appropriate, Mister Kol!" Maria exclaimed, outraged, while stepping back._

"_What? We're family, come on, Maria, I know you want to do it." Kol mocked._

"_Kol, take my Louis Vuitton suitcase, would you, instead of traumatizing the help?" Rebekah exclaimed, while stomping her feet, with a childish manner._

"_Take care of it yourself, sister; I'm not your valet." Kol responded, before bending his head near Maria's to kiss her cheek. "So, where are the brides to be?"_

"_Apparently and most certainly, they both are where you won't be!" They heard an ordering and brittle voice said to them._

"_Elijah." Rebekah exclaimed, while losing all of her colors. "It's nice to see you brother, you're looking as handsome as ever."_

"_Elijah! Brother it's been so long." Kol exclaimed, following his sister's words, with a fake smile blessing his lips._

_Elijah sighed, loudly and in annoyance, while shaking his head in disbelief, before glancing at Maria._

"_I wasn't sure what to do, Mister Mikaelson?" She said, while nervously rubbing her hands together. "I've mentioned to them that I was not aware of their upcoming visit and presences."_

"_That is because the __**children **__were not asked to be present." Elijah, replied, while walking to reach Kol's standing position in the entrance._

"_The children … Who are you calling the children?" Kol asked, falsely outraged. "Oh come on brother, we have just learned about your and Klaus upcoming weddings, and you seriously thought that we would stay away?"_

"_Kol … Don't push it!" Rebekah warned him, while biting her bottom lip._

"_Oh believe me; I've never thought that you would." Elijah rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Maria, I got this under control." Elijah said, before grabbing Kol's right earlobe and pulling him forcefully toward the entrance door, under the surprised expression of Maria._

"_Aye…" Kol yelled, while trying to free himself of Elijah's grip._

_Elijah grabbed the left earlobe of his sister, before bringing them on the front porch._

"_Aye … Aye… Aye…" Rebekah yelled, under the pain, while holding her ear._

"_I've learned the Bahamas are a nice place for young folks as yourselves at this time of the year, why aren't you bringing your bottoms there, instead." Elijah suggested, before slapping the entrance door at their speechless faces. "Well, that was easier than I've anticipated that it would be." Elijah smirked at an immobile Maria. "My dear, for future reference, when you're taking care of children, it's all in the ear's grabbing." He informed her, before walking toward the corridor leading him to his office. "You're looking lovely by the way."_

"_Yes, sir, I'll try to keep that in mind. And thank you." She responded, while nodding her head and smiling, before raising her sight in the one of Klaus that was coming down the grand staircase._

"_Was it my neurotic sister's voice and my psycho younger brother that I've heard?" Klaus asked her._

"_Yes, Sir, but I believe they've been excused by your brother." Maria replied, smiling._

"_Good, that is certainly music to my ears. Is Carolina waiting in one of the rooms downstairs?" Klaus asked the governess, while knotting his tie and reaching her position._

"_Not exactly, Mister Klaus." She responded, while blushing and shaking her head._

"_And what is __**"not exactly"**__ intended for in your sentence, Maria?" He asked, while crossing his arms in front of his chest and narrowing his sight on her._

"_I believe she is __**indisposed**__, Sir." Maria tried to formulate the news in the least painful way possible._

"_I just saw my fiancée not even an hour ago, and she was in perfect health." He replied, while sighing loudly. "Spill it, Maria. I'm not really in a patience mode today."_

"_When are you really?" She mumbled, in a low whisper._

"_What was that?" Klaus asked, amused, with a raised eyebrow._

"_It was nothing." She responded, coughing, before adding. "Well, I believe you did saw Miss Carolina in a perfect health, Sir, but at that moment I also believe she hadn't seen the invitation card to your wedding, and I suppose neither her new given name." Maria confessed, while lowering her sight on the marble floor._

"_Damn it!" Klaus yelled, while closing his fists in anger, before passing a nervous hand through his hair. "Where is she now?"_

"_Still in her suite, but she informed me to tell you and I quote: __**I won't marry that lout if he was the last man on earth.**__" Maria quoted._

_Klaus raised his demented sight in the one of the governess, before blessing his lips of a smirk._

"_I believe my future wife just want to play hide and seek with me, Maria." He informed her. "And I will oblige to her wish." He added, before climbing the stairs._

"_Bless the poor soul of your future wife, then." Maria murmured, while rolling her eyes._

* * *

"_Elijah, open this damn door!" Rebekah yelled all the air in her lungs, while knocking the panel of the entrance door with her closed fists._

"_Elijah won't open the door, Bekha… Just try to be proactive for once in your pathetic life of a goddess." Kol rolled his eyes, while searching names in the addresses data file of his blackberry._

"_Goddess you got that right!" She pointed a finger at him. "It took you long enough to acknowledge this fact." She added, smirking, while crossing her arms in front of her chest._

"_I am not exactly acknowledging that lie; it's only one of my brilliant tactics to make you close your big mouth, while I'm actually doing something worth of my time, as opposed to you." Kol informed her._

"_What are you searching for?" She asked, while bending her head above his left shoulder._

"_I'm searching for a way out of this impasse." Kol informed his sister. "Ah! I got it!" He exclaimed, smirking, while pushing the __**send **__button, before passing the cellular phone to his sister._

"_What am I supposed to do with this?" She asked her brother. "Whom did you call?"_

"_Talk to __**Stefan Salvatore**__, who else but Klaus's best buddy and idiot vampire would know where the weddings are taking place?" Kol responded, with a proud smile._

"_Are you out of your mind, Kol? I'm not talking to this low life jerk." She busted to Kol's face._

"_Salvatore." A voice was heard into the speakers of the phone._

"_Damn you!" Rebekah murmured to her conniving brother, before placing the phone near her ear._

"_Stefan, it's Rebekah Mikaelson, can you talk?" She asked, while pulling her tongue at Kol._

* * *

"_Carolina, open the doors, please?" Klaus asked, through the locked doors of her suites. "We need to leave for the wedding soon." He added, while lowering his forehead on the wood, both of his hands placed on each side of the arch._

_Carolina paced back and forth in the middle of her suite, with her closed fists firmly placed on each side of her hips, while glancing at the doors, and sighing loudly under her contained rage._

"_иди к черту!" __**Go to hell**__! She yelled in Russian through the doors, while continuing her pacing, before crossing her arms in front of her chest._

"_С тобой, всегда!" __**With you, always**__! Klaus responded in her birth language, a smirk blessing his lips. "If you are into names calling, this could get very sensual and erotic in no time, if you allow me to teach you how?" He tried to relax the atmosphere between them._

"_Why don't you ask C__**aroline Forbes**__ to play the game of naughty words with you instead?" She busted in rage, while gesturing with her arms. "I've read on the invitation card that __**she**__'ll be your wife very soon."_

"_Who said anything about naughtiness, Love? You have a naughty mind as I can see." Klaus mocked. "I'm surprised, but highly thrilled that you would consider playing dirty game with me Carolina." He added. "The name change was for security purposes, I'm a powerful man, Love, and so is my brother. It's only put in place for your protection and the one of your sister, you shouldn't be mad about this, it means nothing to me." He explained, more seriously._

"_Your dirty games will only happen in your dreams and over __**your**__ dead body!" She replied, pissed. "I want to talk to my sister, tell her that I want out of this marriage deal, and that I want to go back to Russia."_

"_That will be happening over my dead body indeed!" Klaus responded, angrily, before strongly hitting the doors with both of his closed fists. "Open this damn doors now, or I swear I'll push them down in no time!" He warned her. "And this is not a request; it's a damn order!"_

_Carolina startled at his warning, while facing both doors, a hand raised around her neck, her chest rising up and down with each of her jerky breaths and heartbeats. This man was crazy enough to actually put his threat into execution… And yet, and again her best judgement, she was strangely excited by it._

"_And then what, you'll put me on your shoulder while carrying me to the town hall, before forcing me to marry you?" She yelled back at him._

_A strong kick placed in the middle of both doors rang its loud noise into the suite with two broken panels hanging on each side of the arch. Carolina's fiancé stood on the threshold with his mad glare fixated on her._

"_It's exactly what I will do, sweetheart." He responded, while entering the suite._

"_I swear that I'll tear this expensive wedding dress into pieces if you approach me." She warned him, while raising the hem of the skirts in her hand, and slowly pulling on the silk fabric._

_Klaus lower his head, before bursting into loud laughter._

"_That would actually be a shame, love. I thought it would be my forbidden pleasure to actually tear the fabric of your wedding dress, before ripping every other pieces of clothing that you're wearing, until seeing your shivering naked body in front of my sight on our wedding night." He replied, with a twisted smile blessing his lips._

_Carolina blushed, while taking a few steps away from him, before placing herself in safety behind one of the armchairs._

"_It's a very expensive dress." Carolina repeated while pulling a little bit more on the fabric._

"_I don't care about money, I have more than I could even spend, and I don't care about the dress. You'll marry me in your underwear if necessary." Klaus mocked. "Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I would prefer to marry you fully naked."_

"_Go undress __**Caroline Forbes**__; I'm sure she'll be willing to play your twisted, sick seduction games." She replied, slyly._

"_Considering that she is you, I can hardly wait then. And is it jealousy I hear in your voice?" He said, perniciously. "Now tell me, since you've met me, did you ever have naughty thoughts about us, Carolina?" He asked, a raised eyebrow, while slowly approaching his prey._

"_What?" She asked, while stepping away from the armchair. "What do you mean?"_

"_I don't know… Something like thinking about both of our naked bodies, lying in the same bed?" He asked her._

"_You're sick!" She replied, while placing herself behind the mahogany wood table._

"_How can it be sick to passionately desire my future wife, love?" He asked her, before throwing one of the chairs on the suite carpet, to free his path, while making her startled with fear. "Longing for the moment I'll hear you scream under my erotic assault."_

"_I want more that you can offer me, Klaus." She confessed, while raising her teary eyes in his._

"_What do you want, Love? Tell me, or let me guess: A fairy tale wedding with all family and friends reunited, a nine to five job / reliable working man, a suburb house with a white picket fence, two or three children and a dog?" Klaus enumerated, before crossing his arms in front of his chest, while continuing to walk around the table. "Am I near the truth?" He asked, with a raised eyebrow._

"_That is not or your business." She replied, slyly, to him, while wrapping her arms around her chest._

"_You're lying to me and to yourself, because that is not what you want." He reaffirmed, before shaking his head._

"_I don't know what you're talking about?" She replied, while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat and shrugging her shoulders._

"_You and I, we are the same: we're strong, fearless, independent, and passionate. We won't take no for an answer, and we consummate ourselves with our twisted mind and furious anger." Klaus explained._

"_Oh, my God, you're demented! I don't know what my sister thought while making this crazy deal with the agency, but you can't force me to marry you against my will." She replied, while passing a hand through her tangled hair, before standing immobile in the middle of the suite._

"_Don't be scare, Carolina. I won't hurt you." Klaus said, while finally reaching her standing position, before grabbing her left wrist and pulling her close to his chest. He suddenly took a strand of her silky blond hair, before enrolling it on one of his fingers. "Who said anything about forcing you, love?" He murmured, smirking, while lowering his head near hers._

_Carolina closed her eyes, while feeling the softness of his breath caressing her right cheek._

"_Klaus, please…" She begged, while raising her hands to grab each side of his jacket, suddenly lightheaded under a dizzy spell._

"_I won't force you, Love. You already have in the deepness of your soul the most twisted desire to be link to me, because I'm able to bring you to life in a snap of a finger, and that intrigues you more than anything. That is what you're longing for… You're longing to become passionate in my arms." He murmured, while kissing her jaw line. "Kiss me." He ordered._

"_No, I don't want to kiss you." She replied, while lying through her teeth, before feeling an intense desire awakening her centered core._

"_Yes" He contradicted, while nibbling on her bottom lips, one of his arms encircling her waist, with his other placed at the base of her neck to hold her head nearer to his._

"_I won't marry you." She stubbornly said, her trembling lips murmuring the words on Klaus's. "You can seduce me as much as you want, the answer will still be no!"_

"_Of course you won't." Klaus mocked, while sliding the tip of his tongue on the length of her lips, before slowly kissing her lips. "Right, until you will!" He added, while detaching his lips, before surprising Carolina by raising her body on his right shoulders under her screams of protestation._

"_Let me down!" She yelled, while hitting her closed fists on his back. "You tricked me, bastard!"_

"_Where are you shoes?" He asked, while scattering her suite._

"_I swear to you, I'll kill you with my bare hands the minute my feet will touch the ground." She yelled some more._

"_About your feet, if I only could find your shoes it would help us leave earlier rather than later, sweetheart." He added, while entering the walk-in closet, with his right hand firmly placed on her bottom, to keep her body balanced on his shoulder. "I got them!" He exclaimed, joyfully, before grabbing the pair. "We're ready to go get married." He added, while heading his walk toward the corridor, before descending the stairs._

"_I asked you to let me go!" Carolina yelled one more time. "I swear to you, you'll pay for this, Klaus!"_

"_I'm actually looking forward to it." Klaus mocked her. "Maria, is the limousine parked up front?" Klaus asked the immobile and speechless governess who kept staring at them._

"_I'm sorry, what?" She asked, with a hand placed over her chest._

"_The limousine, Maria, is it upfront?" Klaus repeated._

"_Yes, I believe the limousine arrived, Mister Klaus." Maria responded, politely, while nodding her head. "Let me help you and Miss Carolina by opening the door for you." Maria mumbled the words, nervously before turning the handle, and watching __**Duke Klaus Mikaelson**__ walk toward the chauffeur of the luxurious car, while carrying his future wife on his shoulder._

"_Oh my …" She whispered to herself, breathless, while closing the door on its arch. "If only a man would carry me this way, I would certainly be in need of an icy, cold shower afterward!"_

* * *

_Thank you for reading the second part of the wedding, __**I am heading to write the third, and finale part right now**__, so it should come in a short while, before I'll go back to write my other fictions._

_I am overwhelmed with the strong, positive response to this fiction story, and so happy that I am able to bring it to all of you with my wild imagination._

_Till the next update, much love to all of you, and be happy!_

_Lovely Vero_

_**Answers to anonymous reviews:**_

_**VD: **__You're so encouraging and nice with your review, sweetie, thanks a lot, and big hugs!_

_**L'unique Justine: **__Mon but ultime avec ce chapitre est de te tuer à petits feux. C'est mon unique raison de vivre maintenant … lol … En espérant y arriver. Ma chérie, tes reviews sont comme une fiction pour moi, je suis pressée de les lire à chaque fois, elle m'apporte un petit soleil dans mes journées et je t'en remercie du fond du cœur._

_**IloveTVD: **__Thanks for the review, sweetie pie! I hope that this chapter will still lift your spirit, because these days with TVD, we need it so much … Sigh._

_**Terry: **__Thank you for reviewing, sweetie, nice to see you aboard this story._

_**Ines: **__Awww sweetie, you're too sweet with your review. Thanks a lot for loving this fiction so much, it's a joy to know that you're happy when you read it._

_**Klaroline5ever: **__I don't want you to go crazy, lol, I want you to have patience with my updates, sweetie, it's not as easy as it looks to handle three fictions and a busy life. Thanks for your awesome review; it was so nice to read your enthusiasm._

_**Guest: **__Life! LOL … That is the reason for not updating more oftentimes, and also my other fictions, plus sweetie, I can't write under stress, I believe a chapter needs to be thought before written. Thanks for liking this fiction so much, though._


	8. RE-UPLOAD of Chapter 7

**THIS IS A REPLICATE OF CHAPTER 7 - I HAD TO RE-UPLOAD THE FILE BECAUSE OF THE SITE PROBLEMS. **

**SOME OF YOU NEVER RECEIVED THE PREVIOUS UPDATE. THANKS GUYS! **

* * *

**SWEET KISSES FROM RUSSIA**

Fan Fiction – Alternate Universe

Caroline & Klaus

Elijah & Katherine

From:** Lovely Vero**

* * *

Chapter 7

"**For our marriage(s)"**

**Part 2**

* * *

_**Previously on Sweet Kisses from Russia**_

_**(…)**_

"_I've noticed, my dear." A middle age man responded, before rising on his legs from his sitting position in one of leather armchairs. "So, you are Miss Katerina Petrova … Russian girl, or should I say, private Russian escort?" The man added, with a pernicious smile, while approaching Katerina's standing position. He had the same demeanor and gentleman manners than Elijah, but his sight was colder and his all aura, much darker._

"_Who are you?" She asked, while losing all coloring in her cheeks._

"_He always had this obsession for brunette. He was in love before with a woman that could have been the spitting image of you, my dear, Tatia was her name." The man continued, while raising a hand to caress her left cheek._

_Katerina took a few steps back while avoiding the man's hand._

"_Playing hard to get, as I can see, __**Katerina**__? That is probably what drew him to you." He said, smirking. "Maybe, after he is done with you, I could require your escort services?" He added, perniciously._

"_Or I could grab you by the scruff of your bones, pull your poisoned heart out of your chest, and leave you in the cold for the wolves to finish your carcass." They both heard Elijah addressed the man, while entering the parlor room. "What are you doing here, father?" Elijah asked, under the speechless expression of Katerina._

* * *

"_Well, how can one father not present himself and his good wishes to the future bride at the marriage of his eldest son?" Mikael replied, while burying both hands in his trousers' pockets, his sight drown in the one of Elijah._

"_You weren't invited, father, and you are not wanted in these walls either." Elijah mumbled, angrily, between his teeth. "I'm asking you to leave." He ordered him._

"_Are you ready for such commitment as the one of marriage, my dear, with a controlling and ordering man like my son?" Mikael asked Katerina, while turning his sight toward the young woman. "Though, I suppose a large amount of money came as compensation for your services, or am I mistaken?" He demanded. "But, then again, you must be very experimented in bed with your background as a private escort, for my son to even think of marrying such a low class woman, such as yourself; no disrespect intended, we all do what we have to do to survive in this miserable life."_

"_That's enough!" Elijah yelled. "You'll respect Katerina, under my roof, or you'll leave. Don't make me use force to get you out of my house, father."_

_Mikael disregard Elijah words while taking a few additional steps to place himself in front of Katerina, his eyes in search of finding the deepness of her soul._

"_Poor Russian girl, you have no idea what future is awaiting you. You don't know all the deep, dark secrets that your fiancé is forbidding you to see; you have no idea that one day your mortal life will spiral into your own descent in hell, by his hands." He explained, a devious smile blessing his lips._

_Katerina raised her teary eyes in the ones of the villain man who stood immobile in front of her sight, soon to be called her father-in-law, her mind suddenly in a deep blur of this strange and disrespectful encounter. She felt dirty in the worst ways possible, all of a sudden, and terribly sick in the depths of her stomach._

"_If you would excuse-me…" She managed to mumble, while dragging her shoes and unbalanced path toward the french doors of the parlor room, before passing by Elijah's standing position._

_He forcefully grabbed her right forearm, before slowly sliding his hand on the length of her bare skin, on her delicate wrist, interlacing his fingers with hers a second later._

"_My wife stays by my side, Katerina, as I'll stay by her side." He said, while drowning his sight in hers. "I want you out of this house; Mikael, this will be the last time I'll order you to leave." Elijah repeated, before turning his cold glance toward his father._

"_Very well, I'll oblige this time, Elijah." He agreed, smirking, while pulling on his blazer's sleeves, before adding. "By the way, my dear, if you think that my legitimate son will become your worst nightmare, you should seriously think about your own sister, which future will be gloomier in so many more ways than yours, considering that she is marrying the bastard of my wife' wombs, or if you prefer to call him: the beast." He added, before nodding his head, and greeting her. "Until our next…Encounter, my dear."_

_His footsteps echoed on the marble floor, before completely leaving the space of her troubled mind._

"_Let me go." She mumbled the words, while pulling on Elijah's firm grip on her hand. "Let me go!" She yelled this time around, while hitting his chest with her left fist._

"_Katerina, you need to calm down!" He ordered her, while grabbing both of her wrists, before pushing them both toward the wall behind her back. "Do not listen to my father; he is a twisted, sick man with a dark past."_

"_No, no, no … I want to leave … I made a mistake, where's my sister?" She yelled, incoherently, tears rolling freely on her cheeks._

"_Katerina, look at me, look into my eyes." Elijah demanded, while grabbing her chin in his hand to force her to stare into the deepness of his soul. "That is what he wanted for you to feel, he wanted for the strong foundation under your feet to move, don't let him succeed."_

"_I want out of the deal." She begged, breathless, her mascara running under her eyes. "Let me leave with my sister."_

"_And you will go back to what, Katerina, a life of misery? I thought you wanted more for your sister, and deep down for yourself?" Elijah asked her, more troubled that he would admit to himself at the thought of seeing this woman, his future promised wife, disappear from his life. "Don't cry…Please don't cry." He begged, while passing the back of his hands on her wet cheeks. "I can't bear the thought of seeing you cry in front of my sight, woman."_

"_Why does it matter to you, if I cry or not, was it forbidden in the contract?" She asked, slyly, while raising her swollen eyes into his, tears continuously rolling on her face, her trembling lips murmuring the words. "Call the agency, they … They'll send you two other women to marry."_

"_I don't want another woman; my mind is set on __**you**__." He replied, in an ordering voice._

"_I'll find a way to reimburse every dime that I owe you, I swear." She added._

"_How will you reimburse the cost of an eight thousands pounds wedding dress, by sleeping with more men that you could handle, Katerina?" Elijah asked, offensive._

"_You're a bastard!" She managed to whispered, while closing her fists in anger. "Well, thank you for confirming that you really are your father's son, Duke Mikaelson." She replied, while raising her face streaming with tears._

"_I'm sorry… I'm sorry…Forgive me…" He whispered, while shaking his head in disbelief of his own say to her, ricochet effect of his father presence. He lowered his forehead on hers, his hands letting go of her wrists, slowly rising on her bare, silky arms, on the roundness of her shoulders, before caressing their crucible, creating a range of intense shivers in her spine. "Stay, Katerina … Please stay…" He begged in a low murmur._

"_Why?" She asked, while raising her trembling eyelashes in his stare._

"_Because …" He whispered, while sliding the tip of his fingers on her trembling lips. "I want you to stay, isn't it enough of a reason, woman?" He added, while lowering his head near hers. "I want __**you**__ to become my wife. And I don't need a piece of paper or my father to justify or deny what I already know."_

"_And what is it that you know?" She asked, breathless, with the sound of her rising heartbeats in her ears._

"_That you're __**mine**__." He confessed, his fingers playing with a strand of Katerina's hair. "And you'll never again belong to another man than me."_

"_Well, you bought me after all. Isn't it the best way to own something or someone?" She murmured the words on her trembling lips, her stare lost in Elijah's, her chest rising under her jerky breaths._

"_Perhaps, Katerina, or perhaps there is something more between us, that we are not ready to face." He replied, his lips slowly capturing hers under her sudden moan of surprise, while sliding his hands around her tiny waist to bring her in full contact with his muscular chest._

_Elijah sensually raised both of his hands on the nakedness of her back, his right now firmly placed at the base of her neck, while deepening the intensity of their exchanged kiss with his tongue invading the warmth of her mouth, before joining hers in an intense twirling of intense sensual sensations._

_Katerina felt her head spinning under his sensual assault, grasping for air under his demanding mouth, before slowly raising her hands on his jacket, while grabbing each side to hold her equilibrium on her shaking legs._

_He detached his mouth of her trembling lips, under her panting breaths, before taking a step away from her standing position, while still keeping a firm grip on her with both of his hands placed on each side of her hips._

"_I'm sorry; Katerina. The kiss was not planned or intended to prove my superiority over you. I did not lie when I've previously said to you that I wanted for us to be equal in this marriage." Elijah explained, while sighing loudly._

"_What was it intended for then?" She relied, while catching her breath and raising her sight in his._

"_It was meant to satisfy my sudden need to kiss your lips." He replied, smiling. "They are a real temptation when you look at them." He added, while passing the tip of his right thumb on her bottom lip, before slowly bending his head near hers, his right hand sliding on her neckline before grabbing the back of her neck to bring Katerina in a nearer proximity, his lips touching her right earlobe in an almost unperceived caress. "But they are even more of a temptation after having kissing them."_

_She closed her eyes, breathless, while almost losing her balance, completely lost in his seductive spell. If she was not more careful, this powerful man would control her in no time, and she could not allow this to happen. She had promised herself all of her life, that not a single man would ever have this power over her._

"_Be careful." He murmured, while encircling her waist to help Katerina keep her balance. "You could easily fell." He added with his sight lost in hers. "See you may need me after all, as your husband, if only to catch you." He mocked._

"_It's the shoes." She replied, lying through her teeth, and mostly disturbed by his arrogance, before stepping away from Elijah. "I just lost my balance for a quick moment."_

"_Of course, it is the shoes, Katerina." He responded, smirking. "I would not have the pretension of thinking that it could be my kisses that are making your head turn and lose your balance." He mocked some more, before turning on himself, his hands buried in his pants' pockets._

"_I've kissed men before, Elijah." She replied, slyly, while raising her chin, and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You are far from being the first one."_

"_Yes, I believe that, Katerina, but none of them were __**me, **__were they?" He replied, while turning on himself to face her. "Nevertheless, I can assure you that this close proximity won't happen again in a near future. I've promised that I would give you time, and I'll keep my promise to you."_

_Katerina startled at his say, while blushing, before turning her head at the discreet coughing of Maria, who had just entered the parlor room._

"_Yes, Maria?" Elijah asked, while raising his head toward the governess._

"_I'm so sorry to disturb you, Mister Mikaelson, Madam, but I was wondering if I could be of assistance before leaving for your wedding?" Maria replied, while nodding her head in respect._

"_Katerina had a … She had a moment, would you be so kind to accompany my fiancée to her suite, she'll need to powder her noise before __**the wedding**__?" Elijah replied, while keeping his sight drown in the one of his future wife. "Let us know when the limousine will arrive, would you?"_

"_Certainly, sir, I'll do as you wish." Maria replied, politely._

"_Maybe I won't be present at this wedding, __**Duke Mikaelson**__?" Katerina whispered, for his ears only, while raising her chin in a confrontational gesture._

"_We both know that you'll be present, and that you will marry me, Katerina." He murmured, confident, near her right ear, while bending his head near hers. "Don't forget that I can buy you a lot of expensive shoes." He smirked._

"_You seem pretty sure of yourself, Duke, I guess only time will tell, then." She replied, a timid smile blessing her lips._

_Katerina turned her head toward Maria, before raising her wedding dress skirts, and leaving the parlor room in the company of the governess._

* * *

"_What is your master plan now, Kol?" Rebekah asked, sighing, before arriving in front of the entrance door of the manor. "Neither of our demented brothers invited us to this double weddings' masquerade."_

"_I thought I was the demented one?" Kol smirked. "You've just crushed my pride, sister."_

"_As demented goes, you're in a league of your own, brother." She replied, slyly, with a sour expression._

"_Aren't you the eternal charming one?" Kol replied, while strengthening his upper body and pulling on his blazer' sleeves. "You should be excited to meet you future sisters-in-law? I know I am." He added, mockingly._

"_I could give a damn about those women that are probably as insipid and ignorant as you can find. I'm just wondering who they are, and from which royal families they came from?"_

"_Oh look at you, sister, looking as superficial as ever!" Kol mocked. "How do I look by the way?"_

_Rebekah rolled her eyes, while acting indifferent at the enormous ego expression of her brother._

"_Aren't you finding this all secrecy weddings a bit odd? Plus, I could easily vision Elijah being married, being the pappy that he is and all, but Klaus?" She asked, dumbfounded. "I was not even aware that one single woman on this earth hasn't yet succumbed to his charm, or should I say compulsion?"_

"_We're about to find out, sister dearest." Kol replied, while leaving his finger on the doorbell._

_The continuous and repetitive chime sound of the manor's entrance resounded in Maria's ears like a bad omen. .She finally reached the handle before opening the door on its visitors._

_Kol and Rebekah stood silent in front of her sight for a few seconds, while swallowing a nervous lump in their throats._

"_Maria, my favorite governess in the entire world, you are looking as lovely as ever, and as beautiful as a rose." Kol, the youngest of the Mikaelson brothers, snapped out of it, with a seductive smile blessing his lips and his right palm placed in front of his heart._

"_Oh for God sake, Kol, just shut up!" Rebekah, the baby sister, exclaimed, while rolling her eyes, with her arms firmly crossed in front of her chest. "Good day Maria, are our beloved older brothers present in the manor at this moment?" She asked, without other formalities._

"_Well, good day to you also, Miss Mikaelson, I was not aware of your upcoming visit." Maria responded, dumbfounded, while seeing Kol pass the threshold._

"_You know us, Maria; we love to show ourselves for a surprise visit at every chance that we get." Kol responded, while blinking an eye, before presenting his right cheek to her. "You want to give me a kiss?"_

"_It's highly not appropriate, Mister Kol!" Maria exclaimed, outraged, while stepping back._

"_What? We're family, come on, Maria, I know you want to do it." Kol mocked._

"_Kol, take my Louis Vuitton suitcase, would you, instead of traumatizing the help?" Rebekah exclaimed, while stomping her feet, with a childish manner._

"_Take care of it yourself, sister; I'm not your valet." Kol responded, before bending his head near Maria's to kiss her cheek. "So, where are the brides to be?"_

"_Apparently and most certainly, they both are where you won't be!" They heard an ordering and brittle voice said to them._

"_Elijah." Rebekah exclaimed, while losing all of her colors. "It's nice to see you brother, you're looking as handsome as ever."_

"_Elijah! Brother it's been so long." Kol exclaimed, following his sister's words, with a fake smile blessing his lips._

_Elijah sighed, loudly and in annoyance, while shaking his head in disbelief, before glancing at Maria._

"_I wasn't sure what to do, Mister Mikaelson?" She said, while nervously rubbing her hands together. "I've mentioned to them that I was not aware of their upcoming visit and presences."_

"_That is because the __**children **__were not asked to be present." Elijah, replied, while walking to reach Kol's standing position in the entrance._

"_The children … Who are you calling the children?" Kol asked, falsely outraged. "Oh come on brother, we have just learned about your and Klaus upcoming weddings, and you seriously thought that we would stay away?"_

"_Kol … Don't push it!" Rebekah warned him, while biting her bottom lip._

"_Oh believe me; I've never thought that you would." Elijah rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Maria, I got this under control." Elijah said, before grabbing Kol's right earlobe and pulling him forcefully toward the entrance door, under the surprised expression of Maria._

"_Aye…" Kol yelled, while trying to free himself of Elijah's grip._

_Elijah grabbed the left earlobe of his sister, before bringing them on the front porch._

"_Aye … Aye… Aye…" Rebekah yelled, under the pain, while holding her ear._

"_I've learned the Bahamas are a nice place for young folks as yourselves at this time of the year, why aren't you bringing your bottoms there, instead." Elijah suggested, before slapping the entrance door at their speechless faces. "Well, that was easier than I've anticipated that it would be." Elijah smirked at an immobile Maria. "My dear, for future reference, when you're taking care of children, it's all in the ear's grabbing." He informed her, before walking toward the corridor leading him to his office. "You're looking lovely by the way."_

"_Yes, sir, I'll try to keep that in mind. And thank you." She responded, while nodding her head and smiling, before raising her sight in the one of Klaus that was coming down the grand staircase._

"_Was it my neurotic sister's voice and my psycho younger brother that I've heard?" Klaus asked her._

"_Yes, Sir, but I believe they've been excused by your brother." Maria replied, smiling._

"_Good, that is certainly music to my ears. Is Carolina waiting in one of the rooms downstairs?" Klaus asked the governess, while knotting his tie and reaching her position._

"_Not exactly, Mister Klaus." She responded, while blushing and shaking her head._

"_And what is __**"not exactly"**__ intended for in your sentence, Maria?" He asked, while crossing his arms in front of his chest and narrowing his sight on her._

"_I believe she is __**indisposed**__, Sir." Maria tried to formulate the news in the least painful way possible._

"_I just saw my fiancée not even an hour ago, and she was in perfect health." He replied, while sighing loudly. "Spill it, Maria. I'm not really in a patience mode today."_

"_When are you really?" She mumbled, in a low whisper._

"_What was that?" Klaus asked, amused, with a raised eyebrow._

"_It was nothing." She responded, coughing, before adding. "Well, I believe you did saw Miss Carolina in a perfect health, Sir, but at that moment I also believe she hadn't seen the invitation card to your wedding, and I suppose neither her new given name." Maria confessed, while lowering her sight on the marble floor._

"_Damn it!" Klaus yelled, while closing his fists in anger, before passing a nervous hand through his hair. "Where is she now?"_

"_Still in her suite, but she informed me to tell you and I quote: __**I won't marry that lout if he was the last man on earth.**__" Maria quoted._

_Klaus raised his demented sight in the one of the governess, before blessing his lips of a smirk._

"_I believe my future wife just want to play hide and seek with me, Maria." He informed her. "And I will oblige to her wish." He added, before climbing the stairs._

"_Bless the poor soul of your future wife, then." Maria murmured, while rolling her eyes._

* * *

"_Elijah, open this damn door!" Rebekah yelled all the air in her lungs, while knocking the panel of the entrance door with her closed fists._

"_Elijah won't open the door, Bekha… Just try to be proactive for once in your pathetic life of a goddess." Kol rolled his eyes, while searching names in the addresses data file of his blackberry._

"_Goddess you got that right!" She pointed a finger at him. "It took you long enough to acknowledge this fact." She added, smirking, while crossing her arms in front of her chest._

"_I am not exactly acknowledging that lie; it's only one of my brilliant tactics to make you close your big mouth, while I'm actually doing something worth of my time, as opposed to you." Kol informed her._

"_What are you searching for?" She asked, while bending her head above his left shoulder._

"_I'm searching for a way out of this impasse." Kol informed his sister. "Ah! I got it!" He exclaimed, smirking, while pushing the __**send **__button, before passing the cellular phone to his sister._

"_What am I supposed to do with this?" She asked her brother. "Whom did you call?"_

"_Talk to __**Stefan Salvatore**__, who else but Klaus's best buddy and idiot vampire would know where the weddings are taking place?" Kol responded, with a proud smile._

"_Are you out of your mind, Kol? I'm not talking to this low life jerk." She busted to Kol's face._

"_Salvatore." A voice was heard into the speakers of the phone._

"_Damn you!" Rebekah murmured to her conniving brother, before placing the phone near her ear._

"_Stefan, it's Rebekah Mikaelson, can you talk?" She asked, while pulling her tongue at Kol._

* * *

"_Carolina, open the doors, please?" Klaus asked, through the locked doors of her suites. "We need to leave for the wedding soon." He added, while lowering his forehead on the wood, both of his hands placed on each side of the arch._

_Carolina paced back and forth in the middle of her suite, with her closed fists firmly placed on each side of her hips, while glancing at the doors, and sighing loudly under her contained rage._

"_иди к черту!" __**Go to hell**__! She yelled in Russian through the doors, while continuing her pacing, before crossing her arms in front of her chest._

"_С тобой, всегда!" __**With you, always**__! Klaus responded in her birth language, a smirk blessing his lips. "If you are into names calling, this could get very sensual and erotic in no time, if you allow me to teach you how?" He tried to relax the atmosphere between them._

"_Why don't you ask C__**aroline Forbes**__ to play the game of naughty words with you instead?" She busted in rage, while gesturing with her arms. "I've read on the invitation card that __**she**__'ll be your wife very soon."_

"_Who said anything about naughtiness, Love? You have a naughty mind as I can see." Klaus mocked. "I'm surprised, but highly thrilled that you would consider playing dirty game with me Carolina." He added. "The name change was for security purposes, I'm a powerful man, Love, and so is my brother. It's only put in place for your protection and the one of your sister, you shouldn't be mad about this, it means nothing to me." He explained, more seriously._

"_Your dirty games will only happen in your dreams and over __**your**__ dead body!" She replied, pissed. "I want to talk to my sister, tell her that I want out of this marriage deal, and that I want to go back to Russia."_

"_That will be happening over my dead body indeed!" Klaus responded, angrily, before strongly hitting the doors with both of his closed fists. "Open this damn doors now, or I swear I'll push them down in no time!" He warned her. "And this is not a request; it's a damn order!"_

_Carolina startled at his warning, while facing both doors, a hand raised around her neck, her chest rising up and down with each of her jerky breaths and heartbeats. This man was crazy enough to actually put his threat into execution… And yet, and again her best judgement, she was strangely excited by it._

"_And then what, you'll put me on your shoulder while carrying me to the town hall, before forcing me to marry you?" She yelled back at him._

_A strong kick placed in the middle of both doors rang its loud noise into the suite with two broken panels hanging on each side of the arch. Carolina's fiancé stood on the threshold with his mad glare fixated on her._

"_It's exactly what I will do, sweetheart." He responded, while entering the suite._

"_I swear that I'll tear this expensive wedding dress into pieces if you approach me." She warned him, while raising the hem of the skirts in her hand, and slowly pulling on the silk fabric._

_Klaus lower his head, before bursting into loud laughter._

"_That would actually be a shame, love. I thought it would be my forbidden pleasure to actually tear the fabric of your wedding dress, before ripping every other pieces of clothing that you're wearing, until seeing your shivering naked body in front of my sight on our wedding night." He replied, with a twisted smile blessing his lips._

_Carolina blushed, while taking a few steps away from him, before placing herself in safety behind one of the armchairs._

"_It's a very expensive dress." Carolina repeated while pulling a little bit more on the fabric._

"_I don't care about money, I have more than I could even spend, and I don't care about the dress. You'll marry me in your underwear if necessary." Klaus mocked. "Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I would prefer to marry you fully naked."_

"_Go undress __**Caroline Forbes**__; I'm sure she'll be willing to play your twisted, sick seduction games." She replied, slyly._

"_Considering that she is you, I can hardly wait then. And is it jealousy I hear in your voice?" He said, perniciously. "Now tell me, since you've met me, did you ever have naughty thoughts about us, Carolina?" He asked, a raised eyebrow, while slowly approaching his prey._

"_What?" She asked, while stepping away from the armchair. "What do you mean?"_

"_I don't know… Something like thinking about both of our naked bodies, lying in the same bed?" He asked her._

"_You're sick!" She replied, while placing herself behind the mahogany wood table._

"_How can it be sick to passionately desire my future wife, love?" He asked her, before throwing one of the chairs on the suite carpet, to free his path, while making her startled with fear. "Longing for the moment I'll hear you scream under my erotic assault."_

"_I want more that you can offer me, Klaus." She confessed, while raising her teary eyes in his._

"_What do you want, Love? Tell me, or let me guess: A fairy tale wedding with all family and friends reunited, a nine to five job / reliable working man, a suburb house with a white picket fence, two or three children and a dog?" Klaus enumerated, before crossing his arms in front of his chest, while continuing to walk around the table. "Am I near the truth?" He asked, with a raised eyebrow._

"_That is not or your business." She replied, slyly, to him, while wrapping her arms around her chest._

"_You're lying to me and to yourself, because that is not what you want." He reaffirmed, before shaking his head._

"_I don't know what you're talking about?" She replied, while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat and shrugging her shoulders._

"_You and I, we are the same: we're strong, fearless, independent, and passionate. We won't take no for an answer, and we consummate ourselves with our twisted mind and furious anger." Klaus explained._

"_Oh, my God, you're demented! I don't know what my sister thought while making this crazy deal with the agency, but you can't force me to marry you against my will." She replied, while passing a hand through her tangled hair, before standing immobile in the middle of the suite._

"_Don't be scare, Carolina. I won't hurt you." Klaus said, while finally reaching her standing position, before grabbing her left wrist and pulling her close to his chest. He suddenly took a strand of her silky blond hair, before enrolling it on one of his fingers. "Who said anything about forcing you, love?" He murmured, smirking, while lowering his head near hers._

_Carolina closed her eyes, while feeling the softness of his breath caressing her right cheek._

"_Klaus, please…" She begged, while raising her hands to grab each side of his jacket, suddenly lightheaded under a dizzy spell._

"_I won't force you, Love. You already have in the deepness of your soul the most twisted desire to be link to me, because I'm able to bring you to life in a snap of a finger, and that intrigues you more than anything. That is what you're longing for… You're longing to become passionate in my arms." He murmured, while kissing her jaw line. "Kiss me." He ordered._

"_No, I don't want to kiss you." She replied, while lying through her teeth, before feeling an intense desire awakening her centered core._

"_Yes" He contradicted, while nibbling on her bottom lips, one of his arms encircling her waist, with his other placed at the base of her neck to hold her head nearer to his._

"_I won't marry you." She stubbornly said, her trembling lips murmuring the words on Klaus's. "You can seduce me as much as you want, the answer will still be no!"_

"_Of course you won't." Klaus mocked, while sliding the tip of his tongue on the length of her lips, before slowly kissing her lips. "Right, until you will!" He added, while detaching his lips, before surprising Carolina by raising her body on his right shoulders under her screams of protestation._

"_Let me down!" She yelled, while hitting her closed fists on his back. "You tricked me, bastard!"_

"_Where are you shoes?" He asked, while scattering her suite._

"_I swear to you, I'll kill you with my bare hands the minute my feet will touch the ground." She yelled some more._

"_About your feet, if I only could find your shoes it would help us leave earlier rather than later, sweetheart." He added, while entering the walk-in closet, with his right hand firmly placed on her bottom, to keep her body balanced on his shoulder. "I got them!" He exclaimed, joyfully, before grabbing the pair. "We're ready to go get married." He added, while heading his walk toward the corridor, before descending the stairs._

"_I asked you to let me go!" Carolina yelled one more time. "I swear to you, you'll pay for this, Klaus!"_

"_I'm actually looking forward to it." Klaus mocked her. "Maria, is the limousine parked up front?" Klaus asked the immobile and speechless governess who kept staring at them._

"_I'm sorry, what?" She asked, with a hand placed over her chest._

"_The limousine, Maria, is it upfront?" Klaus repeated._

"_Yes, I believe the limousine arrived, Mister Klaus." Maria responded, politely, while nodding her head. "Let me help you and Miss Carolina by opening the door for you." Maria mumbled the words, nervously before turning the handle, and watching __**Duke Klaus Mikaelson**__ walk toward the chauffeur of the luxurious car, while carrying his future wife on his shoulder._

"_Oh my …" She whispered to herself, breathless, while closing the door on its arch. "If only a man would carry me this way, I would certainly be in need of an icy, cold shower afterward!"_

* * *

_Thank you for reading the second part of the wedding, __**I am heading to write the third, and finale part right now**__, so it should come in a short while, before I'll go back to write my other fictions._

_I am overwhelmed with the strong, positive response to this fiction story, and so happy that I am able to bring it to all of you with my wild imagination._

_Till the next update, much love to all of you, and be happy!_

_Lovely Vero_

_**Answers to anonymous reviews:**_

_**VD: **__You're so encouraging and nice with your review, sweetie, thanks a lot, and big hugs!_

_**L'unique Justine: **__Mon but ultime avec ce chapitre est de te tuer à petits feux. C'est mon unique raison de vivre maintenant … lol … En espérant y arriver. Ma chérie, tes reviews sont comme une fiction pour moi, je suis pressée de les lire à chaque fois, elle m'apporte un petit soleil dans mes journées et je t'en remercie du fond du cœur._

_**IloveTVD: **__Thanks for the review, sweetie pie! I hope that this chapter will still lift your spirit, because these days with TVD, we need it so much … Sigh._

_**Terry: **__Thank you for reviewing, sweetie, nice to see you aboard this story._

_**Ines: **__Awww sweetie, you're too sweet with your review. Thanks a lot for loving this fiction so much, it's a joy to know that you're happy when you read it._

_**Klaroline5ever: **__I don't want you to go crazy, lol, I want you to have patience with my updates, sweetie, it's not as easy as it looks to handle three fictions and a busy life. Thanks for your awesome review; it was so nice to read your enthusiasm._

_**Guest: **__Life! LOL … That is the reason for not updating more oftentimes, and also my other fictions, plus sweetie, I can't write under stress, I believe a chapter needs to be thought before written. Thanks for liking this fiction so much, though._


	9. For our marriage(s) - Part III

**SWEET KISSES FROM RUSSIA**

Fan Fiction – Alternate Universe

Caroline & Klaus

Elijah & Katherine

From:** Lovely Vero**

* * *

Chapter 8

"**For our marriage(s)****"**

Part 3

* * *

_**Disclaimer:** This story is, and will always be, a **fiction story**, that is coming from the imagination of the author. It is not a bibliography of the author or any of the readers, neither a story that is exploring your own experience in life. It is not meant to be informative or to represent the perception or opinion of the author about the subject at hands in her own private life; it is not an encyclopedia, or a medical reference. It is only a fiction, the characters are fictional, and the story should be taken as such and not be mistaken with the private life of the readers or any of their personal experiences. Thank you._

**Writer's note: Due to the delicate subject of this chapter that could seem abusive to some, please read with warning. Thank you.**

* * *

_**Previously on Sweet Kisses from Russia**_

_**(…)**_

"_I'm actually looking forward to it." Klaus mocked her. "Maria, is the limousine parked up front?" Klaus asked the immobile and speechless governess who kept staring at them._

"_I'm sorry, what?" She asked, with a hand placed over her chest._

"_The limousine, Maria, is it upfront?" Klaus repeated._

"_Yes, I believe the limousine arrived, Mister Klaus." Maria responded, politely, while nodding her head. "Let me help you and Miss Carolina by opening the door for you." Maria mumbled the words, nervously before turning the handle, and watching __**Duke Klaus Mikaelson**__ walk toward to the chauffeur of the luxurious car, while carrying his future wife on his shoulder._

"_Oh my …" She whispered to herself, breathless, while closing the door on its arch. "If only a man would carry me this way, I would certainly be in need of an icy, cold shower afterward!"_

* * *

_Rebekah entered the town hall while pushing the revolving doors and keeping a rapid walking pace in hope of having a head start over her annoying brother. Kol was paying the cab driver when she had rushed inside the building. No time for the elevator, she had vampire speed her way up several floors, before finally reaching the fifth and losing all her colors while standing motionless in front of the said brother who stood with his left side body casually leaning on the corridor wall, his arms crossed over his chest, with a smile twisting the corners of his lips._

"_You could have had the decency to wait for me, sister?" Kol mocked; proud of the trick he had just pulled on her. "And what is this breathing sound you're making with your mouth?" He asked, deviously. "Are you suddenly tired of climbing all those stairs?"_

"_It's not a breathing sound, Kol." She replied, while rolling her eyes. "It's the "I want to get rid of my brother" sound!" She added, while strolling by his side, her chin up in the air, before scattering both sides of the corridor in search of the town hall room where the weddings were supposed to take place. "Did you see Stefan or find out where the weddings are held?" _

"_I did not even look for either one." Kol shrugged._

"_What is wrong with you?" She exclaimed, while turning her head to glare at him._

"_I figured that sooner or later we will meet those lovely ladies that our older brothers will marry. I think it's only fair to give them a head start of happiness before we crash everything." He replied, smiling, before adding. "And as for searching for your past lover, let just say that the last time I've encountered Stefan's charming brother, I was practicing my chance of entering the National American Baseball League." _

"_You got to be kidding me?" Rebekah replied. "What did you do?"_

"_Damon does this thing with his eyebrows that is unfortunately triggering my need to hit something." Kol explained, grinning._

"_It's not like you don't have the same annoying eyebrows." Rebekah replied, while grimacing._

"_You had to bring this low life jerk with you, Rebekah?" Stefan asked, while walking from the far end of the corridor toward their positions. _

_Rebekah turned on herself, before facing Stefan Salvatore, who reached her standing position, dressed in a perfect tailored, dark blue, three pieces man suit _

"_Stefan" She greeted, blushing, before regaining control by raising her chin and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "It's been a long time." _

"_It has, Rebekah." Stefan replied, before bending his head near hers and kissing her left cheek. "But it was not nearly long enough to my taste." He added in a murmur near her right earlobe, before raising his sigh back into hers, while making her lose her smile._

"_What on earth did you ever find remotely interesting in this moron, sister?" Kol asked, both of his hands firmly placed on each side of his waist._

"_I was asking myself the same question as for you." Stefan smirked through his remark._

"_Is this humor I hear, Salvatore?" Kol mocked. "Don't tell me, you're in remission of your ripper's phase. I'm so proud of you. You know what? We should go celebrate at a bar with a good bottle of whisky, and fresh waitresses for you to suck all the blood out of their system, what do you say, mate?"_

"_Right Kol… And you must be in your own remission from your demented, psycho, look at me I'm the most handsome in the mirror, killer phase." Stefan added, perniciously._

_Kol lost his smile while taking a step forward to reach Stefan's standing position, closed fists placed on each side of his body, before being retained by Rebekah's right hand on his arm. _

"_Can this be enough, you two?" Rebekah sighed, while rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "Let's shorten this encounter should we? Where are my brothers and their supposed soon to be wives?" She asked Stefan._

"_We've been played for fools!" Stefan replied, smiling, while shrugging his shoulders, before crossing his hands in front of his chest. "In America we say, we've been punk'ed." _

"_What do you mean?" Both siblings said, in perfect synchronization._

"_They've changed the location of the ceremonies at the last minutes." Stefan shrugged more._

"_Did you compel your informant to know where it was held now?" Rebekah asked, while shaking her head in disbelief._

"_Yes, Rebekah, but it seems all the employees of the town hall were already previously compelled." Stefan replied, out of excuses._

"_Elijah!" Both siblings named, while rolling their eyes._

"_You know, sister, our older brother is getting wiser in his old age." Kol mocked, while crossing his arms in front of his chest. "He finally knows us better than ourselves."_

"_Therefore, and because of this news, I have no reason to stay here in your charming companies." Stefan said, while strolling beside them._

"_Stefan, can you wait, please?" Rebekah called him. _

"_Rebekah, you'll meet your new sisters' in law in no time, don't make this encounter more painful than it is already." He told her, while pushing the elevator button._

"_Can you at least tell us from which royal families those two women are coming from?" She asked him._

"_Well, I can tell you that they are sisters, and unfortunately for you, not from any of the royal families." Stefan answered, while retaining his sudden need to burst into laughter….If only Rebekah knew the truth. _

"_Oh come on Salvatore, you must know something of interest to us? You always know **things**, you and my brother Klaus are like best buddies. If not for his love of women, you two would probably be married by now." Kol mocked even more._

"_Oh gross, Kol!" Bekah exclaimed, while hitting his chest with her right hand._

_Stefan entered the elevator, before raising his sight in the ones of the siblings._

"_Sure, they are from Russia. I'll let you do the math now." Stefan said, smirking, with the doors closing on him. _

"_Russia?" Kol and Rebekah exclaimed, dumbfounded, while staring at each other._

* * *

"_How is it that my sister and your brother are not with us?" Katerina asked Elijah, surprised._

"_We had always traveled at different time and with different transportation, mainly for security purposes, Katerina." Elijah explained to her, while pushing a button to raise a black glass between the chauffeur and the back seats, creating a zone of intimacy between the two of them._

_They had left the mansion a few minutes earlier, "They" being her future husband: __**Duke Elijah Mikaelson**__, and herself, and __**they**__ were heading now in direction of the town hall, while comfortably sitting in the back of a luxurious limousine._

"_You're shivering." Katerina heard her fiance whispered, while feeling the tip of his fingers slid on her left forearm. "You're cold, aren't you?"_

_Katerina wrapped herself in her pashmina scarf, while nodding her head discreetly._

"_You should have put a winter coat over your wedding dress before leaving the manor." Elijah added, while opening the front button, before undressing himself of his blazer._

"_It would have pleated the beautiful fabric." Katerina replied, while shrugging her shoulders. "And I'm used to the cold weather, Russia is way worse than England."_

"_There…" Elijah said, while wrapping her shoulders with his blazer. "You'll be warm in no time with this on your shoulders." He added, while rubbing her arms with his strong manly hands, creating a range of warm shivers in all her body._

"_Thank you." She nodded, while blushing, and suddenly smelling his musk scent all around her. "You know … I still did not decided if I would marry you or not?" Katerina added, while crossing her arms in front of her chest, raising her chin and drowning her sight into the side window and the grey sky of London._

"_Look in the left pocket of my jacket, could you?" He murmured, while passing the back of his right hand on her left cheek, in an almost unperceived caress. "Maybe it will change your mind, and show you how committed I can be, beautiful Katerina."_

_She glared at him rapidly, while slowly sliding her hand in his jacket's pocket, before pulling a square velvety box from its inside. _

"_Open it." He suggested to her._

_She opened the small cover, before raising her right hand in front of her opened mouth, forbidding herself to scream. A yellow – enormous - square diamond on a white gold band was presenting itself in front of her eyes._

"_Is it real?" She mumbled, in shock, while taking the ring in her shaking hand, before bringing the diamond near her mouth and front teeth to bite into it._

"_Katerina, for God sake…Stop it!" Elijah exclaimed, before grabbing the ring away from her hand and mouth. "You'll break a tooth if you take a bite on it." He added, smirking. "Of course it's real, woman, I would never allow __**my wife**__ to wear an imitation."_

"_I'm not used to see a real diamond so close. I'm sorry…" She shrugged, ashamed, while turning her head back to the side window._

"_No, it's me who should be sorry." He replied, while grabbing her chin to make her face him. "I … I always forget how __**real**__ you can be. There's nothing fake about you, Katerina."_

"_You mean that the wife that you bought for yourself is certainly not as bright as you thought she would be for the good money you've paid for?" She replied, while keeping her sight in his._

"_No, Katerina … I meant that you're genuine, honest and upfront about everything" He responded, before caressing her left cheek. "It's qualities that can't be bought, even with all the money in the world, but they can be highly appreciated. And those qualities are not the ones that I saw in people oftentimes in my own life." He added, while grabbing her left hand and slowly sliding the engagement ring on her finger, before addressing a timid smile to her._

"_It's mine?" She exclaimed, joyfully, like a little girl in front of a Christmas tree, with her hand placed in front of her sight. "I've never received a gift so precious in all my life."_

"_Well it's entirely yours, as you'll be mine." He replied._

_Katerina suddenly lost her smile. He owned her, like a precious jewel that you keep in a box, and take time to expose, from time to time, at the eyes of the world. She needed to remind herself of that fact as oftentimes as possible._

"_Katerina… I meant: as you'll be mine to cherish." He added, in a murmur, while noticing her discomfort._

_She sighed loudly, before turning her head toward her side window._

"_Why are we stopping here?" She suddenly inquired in shock, while pointing a finger toward the window. "It's an orthodox church, Elijah." She lashed out, while closing her fists in anger. "You promised me that the ceremony would be held at the town hall, this is not the town hall." _

"_I needed to change the location of the ceremonies at the last given moment." He replied to her, while grabbing the door handle with his left hand. "Is there a problem, Katerina?" _

"_Yes, there's a problem, Elijah. This is the house of God … I don't want God to witness what I did… To … I mean I don't want to be married to you religiously." Katerina busted, while retaining her anger._

"_You won't!" He replied, impatient. "I've rented a private room in the church, where a representative of the town hall will be present to fill the papers work for both marriages, only a hand full of witnesses will be present with a few of my business acquaintances."_

_Katerina crossed her arms in front of her chest, while pouting._

"_Katerina, you really think that God is not watching you link your life to mine at this present moment? Because being on papers or in front of a priest it doesn't change anything, and it has the same value to me." Elijah responded. _

"_It doesn't have the same value to me. I've asked God for forgiveness. A business contract is certainly not an act of love in front of his sight, Elijah." Katerina responded, while biting her bottom lip._

"_I don't know what to answer to that." Elijah replied, while shaking his head. "Because you're right in your own way, except that I can assure you that no priest will marry us inside of these church's walls, Katerina." He added, before drowning his sight in hers. "Shall we go now?"_

"_You don't believe in God?" She asked, curious of her future husband's answer._

_Elijah froze his movements, while closing his eyes and sighing loudly._

"_I believe that we are the masters of our own destiny, and that monsters are hiding in each one of us, Katerina. But, there is also hope, forgiveness, kindness, and respect." He answered her, before seeing the door being opened in front of his sight by the chauffeur of the limousine. "Come, we need to get married." He invited her, while changing the subject, a smile blessing his lips, before handing his right hand to her. _

_Katerina handed her trembling left hand to him, before getting out of the limousine._

* * *

_Carolina glared rapidly toward Klaus, from the corner of her eyes. He had his head turned to his side window. She tried to slowly reach the handle of the passenger door. The limousine had stopped at a crossroad, for a traffic red light, and even if she felt ridiculous at the idea of running on the London sidewalks while holding the skirts of her wedding dress in her hands, it would at least be more rewarding than letting this man dictate her life._

_It was her day of luck, the door seemed unlock at the present moment, an oversight from the chauffeur, perhaps? Now the tricky part would be to jump out of this luxurious car, with all those stupid skirts rolled around her legs and to run with these high heels shoes. If only she would have been dressed in a pair of jeans and boots she would have been long gone by now. One easy fix was to get rid of those shoes and to escape without them, which she smiled while slowly dropping them under her dress. She closed her eyes, while taking a deep breath into her lungs, before carefully pushing down the handle of the door._

_She suddenly startled, both of her wrists being captured by Klaus's hands, before being pulled near his chest, with one of his arms encircling her waist, while keeping Carolina in this forced embrace. _

"_Going somewhere, love?" He asked her, with a smirk and raised eyebrow._

"_Let go of my wrists, Klaus!" She ordered, while squirming at his side, before trying to liberate her hands and arms from his strong grip on her. _

"_And what will you do sweetheart?" He mocked. "Tear your dress into pieces for my eyes only?" He asked, while trying to hold her immobile in his arms. "Indulge my naughty mind, would you, Carolina; give me the spectacle of watching you undress in front of my sight, and in a back of a limousine, nonetheless." _

"_Certainly, I'll do that when I'll be the spectator to watch you rot in hell!" She replied, while kicking her feet in all direction. "Let me go!"_

"_Now, do you know how aroused I am when you fight me this way? Do you do that on purpose, love?" He asked her, while pulling on the tie around his neck, before rolling the long piece of fabric around her wrists to tie her up, turning and pushing her body with her chest facing the leather cushions of the back seat, in a lying position, with his hands now firmly placed on her bottom. "I would have preferred to tie you to the bed, but I'll keep that in mind for later." Klaus murmured near her left ear, his head bent over hers, with a smirk blessing his lips._

_Carolina closed her eyes, while taking deep breaths into her lungs to calm herself down, the right side of her face leaning on the leather seat._

"_What, you don't have anything else to say? So now, you will give me the silence treatment?" Klaus mocked, while caressing the curves of her hips over the fabric of her wedding dress._

"_That is exactly what you deserve for treating me this way." She replied, slyly. "And by the way, Einstein, if you keep me in this lying position, the wedding dress will have several pleats." _

"_I think you got everything in reverse, in this pretty head of yours, sweetheart." Klaus responded, while turning Carolina's body, making her now lye on her back, with her legs placed on his lap. "I'm the perfect gentleman; offering you a life of luxury on a silver platter, and yet ….it's you who behave like a spoil brat while trying to escape the arms of your adorable future husband." He pouted, mockingly._

"_It won't work between us, Klaus." She mumbled angrily between her teeth. "I'll make your life miserable at all the chances that I will get." She added, pouting. "Is this the life that you want with your new wife?"_

"_That is exactly the life that I want; I've been bored out of my mind with my previous … let me call them: __**girlfriends…**__ That, suddenly, you are a breath of fresh air in my London grey sky, and what I desire the most now." He smirked, while making Carolina rolled her eyes. "So can you promise me that you'll keep this fire coming between us?" He mocked. "Because that would be my biggest joy to see you fight me this way all the time, I can only imagine all the ways we'll find to make up afterward." He added, while grabbing her left ankle in his hands, and slowly caressing her calve under the silk fabric._

"_Don't do that with my leg…I mean don't touch it this way." She begged, under a range of jerky breaths…Devil man that he was!_

"_Tell me why not, Carolina? You like to feel my hands on your body." Klaus mentioned to her with his fiery sight lost in hers. "And don't say the contrary, I won't believe you."_

"_It's disturbing… I feel like you're not the one who should touch me this way." She shrugged._

_Klaus lowered his head, before bursting into laughter. _

"_Where are your shoes?" He asked._

_She shrugged her shoulders before nodding her head toward the shoes that were earlier dropped on the luxurious carpet of the limousine._

"_There's something with you and your hate of shoes, Love, you want to share it with you future hubby?" Klaus smiled._

"_I love to not have to stress for things like stupid shoes, and I love the freedom that it gives me to walk bare feet." Caroline explained, while raising her sight in his._

"_Then, we have the love of freedom in common." Klaus replied, more seriously, while surprising Carolina by suddenly raising her upper body in a sitting position by his side, before pulling the tie that was keeping her wrists attached together. "And I'll need my tie back around my neck." He whispered, while sliding the narrowed silk fabric around the collar of his man shirt. "You want to do the knot for me, love?" He asked with a raised eyebrow._

_Carolina sighed loudly, before grabbing both sides of the tie and proceeding to his request._

"_You're certainly an obedient future wife to be and you smell nice." Klaus complimented, while lowering his head near the left side of her neck, a seductive smile blessing his lips. _

"_Don't move your head or I won't be able to do a perfect job." She scolded. "As for the scent, it's you who offered me the bottle." She shrugged._

"_I'm surprised that you've accepted a gift from me?" Klaus smirked._

"_There! Your tie is presentable." She acknowledged, while lowering her hands. "It was spraying a little bit of the scent on me or smelling like old cheese." She mocked._

_Klaus laughed, before grabbing her chin and very unexpectedly kissing Caroline on the lips, while softly nibbling on her bottom lip. _

"_Why did you do that?" Carolina asked, breathless, the minute he let go of his grip on her._

"_I wanted to take you off guard." Klaus responded. "Look at your left hand, Love." _

_Carolina lowered her sight on her hand, before seeing a classic, square diamond sparkled on her finger._

"_A fiancee deserve a ring." Klaus explained._

"_I'm not materialistic." She shrugged._

"_Perhaps, but your eyes sparkled a little when you saw the ring." Klaus smirked, before looking at his side window. "We're here…Time to get married, sweetheart!"_

* * *

_Elijah climbed the stairs, dressed in a black, P.J. silk bottom, and a matching silk dressing gown, while holding in his right hand one of his favorite books that he just had picked up in his study room. He raised his sigh while holding his walking pace on a stair and addressing a smile at Maria, which was standing in the upper landing of the staircase, in front of his sight._

"_If you are not in need of further services, I was thinking of call it quit for the night, and retiring in my private quarters, Mister Mikaelson." She politely addressed._

"_Certainly, Maria, I wish you a good night." He replied, with a warm smile. "And mostly, thank you for your presence today, it meant a lot to me and my brother…More than you know, actually."_

"_They were lovely ceremonies, I wish you and you wife, many years of happiness." She added, while nodding her head in respect._

"_Thank you, Maria; I take that to heart coming from you." He replied, with a veil of sadness blurring his sight._

_Maria descended the stairs, while passing by his side, before holding her own pace._

"_Mister Mikaelson, it's not of my business, really … But…" She started, shyly. "Miss Katerina is … I believe that she is more sensible than what her rough exterior is letting us to believe. Gentleness is maybe a good way to start a marriage."_

"_I take your implied demand into consideration, Maria." Elijah smirked, with a raised eyebrow. "I don't intend to rush my wife into anything that could hurt her."_

"_It was really not of my business to suggest…" Maria replied, while blushing._

"_Actually, it was, Maria… It was because you care for her wealth fare and happiness." Elijah replied, while nodding his head, and climbing the last stairs._

* * *

_Katerina brushed her long curls, while sitting in front of the dressing table and mirror placed in her new luxurious bathroom. Elijah's suite was huge, and decorated with exquisite taste. She dropped the brush on the marble top, while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat, before closing her eyes under a dizzy spell. Who would have thought, that she, __**Katerina Petrova**__, would have one day married a rich man, and nonetheless a Duke? Certainly not her!_

_Both of the ceremonies had been discreet and expeditious; the two couples had exchanged their vows in a small annex chapel of the Orthodox Church, in front of a table dressed with a red tablecloth and white runner, with a hand full of witnesses present, which included Maria, the governess, who had offered two beautiful bride bouquets to both Katerina and Carolina. _

_A representative of the town hall had politely asked her to sign different papers, as for the legalization of the marriage and the name change. And as of now and in the eyes of the England law, she was: __**Mrs. Katherine Pierce Mikaelson.**_

_She had searched for the finale approval in the deepness of her sister's soul, while discreetly turning her head to take a last glance into her veiled eyes, and it was with a discreet nod of the head and a timid smile that Carolina had finally approved the finale decision that would link them to both men standing by their sides._

_Elijah had slowly kissed her cheek when they had been announced husband and wife, and it is in a blurry mind that she had politely shook the hands of a few business acquaintances that had presented their good wishes to the couples._

_They had, afterward drove in the same limousine toward an elegant restaurant, where a nine services dinner had been served to the newlyweds and their invitees. Katerina had felt the curious look of several spouses directed at her and her sister. She had kept a polite smile on her lips, while not knowing what to say or not, and pecked her plate with her fork the all duration of the meal. And it is with relief that they had taken the limousine back to the mansion._

_She suddenly reopened her eyes, while hearing the discreet noise of the suite door being closed on its arch. She rose on her trembling legs, while knotting with her shaking hands the belt of the dressing gown, before slowly reaching the bathroom door, and gently turning the handle to peek at her future husband. _

_He threw a book on the bed, before undressing himself of his own dressing gown, while dropping the fabric on an armchair, while turning his half naked body to face the bed, wearing only a PJ bottom on his pelvic bones and sensual "V" line._

_Katerina hold her breath, while biting her bottom lip. Truth be told, her new husband was a fine specimen of a man to watch. _

"_Are you going to spy on me behind the bathroom door all night, or will you join me to bed eventually, Katerina?" Elijah asked, smirking._

_She startled, while blushing, before slowly opening the door on its arch and taking her first steps into the bedroom._

"_I was not spying." She replied, while shrugging her shoulders. "I wanted to give you your privacy that is all."_

"_Of course, you weren't." Elijah mocked, while grabbing the corner of the bedspread to open the bed on his side. "Does it bother you if I read before sleeping?"_

_**No, what is bothering me is that you're talking to me like we've been married for ten years, and that you couldn't care less about my presence,**__ thought Katerina, on the edge of a nervous breakdown._

"_No it doesn't, you do as you please." She responded, while standing on the other side of the huge bed._

"_What is this?" Elijah asked, dumbfounded, his right hand pointing toward the bed. "Is this the Berlin wall?" He added, before standing chest naked in front of his bed side, with both of his hands placed on each side of his waist, while looking at the row of numerous cushions placed as a barrier in the middle of the gigantic bed._

"_I thought … I mean …That It would be easier for us to handle the… the wedding night this way." Katerina shrugged her shoulders, before nervously rubbing her hands together, while raising her sight on his muscular bare chest. "You'll sleep on your side, and I'll sleep on mine." _

"_You thought it would be easier to sleep with me by creating a wall of cushions in the middle of our bed?" Elijah asked, while raising the corners of his lips into a smile. _

"_Just stop this thing you're always doing with your face, it is driving me crazy!" She replied, while pointing a finger in his direction._

"_I'm sorry, what?" Elijah asked, surprised, while passing his right hand over his face by mechanism._

"_This annoying grin that you are wearing on your lips, every time you're mocking what I'm doing or saying." She replied. "It's annoying… I feel like I'm a little girl who's being reprimanded by her father." _

_Elijah lowered his head, before bursting into laughter. _

"_Oh, Katerina, Katerina, Katerina…" He repeated, while shaking his head in disbelief and amusement. "My bad, accept my deepest apology, you're a breath of fresh air in my life, but you could never be a mockery to me, don't mix the two, please." He explained. "And as for being reprimanded by me, just ask and I will oblige. I have certain Technics that you would probably enjoy, and not one of those would make you think of me as your father." He added, in a double sense meaning while making her blush. _

"_I didn't mean much by it. You're different when you smile; you don't smile often, most of the time you have your "don't bother me" serious face." She explained._

"_I have my "don't bother me" serious face?" Elijah repeated, speechless. "Well, I'll try to retain myself of showing that particular face to you in the future." He shrugged, while not knowing what to add to her logic, before pointing the bed. "But, as for this goes, my sweet wife, just know that I've slept oftentimes alone in this bed in the past, I also had my share of women sharing it with me as companionship, and as of now, it will be your rightful place as __**my wife**__, but I've never slept with an entire factory of cushions in the middle of my bed, and I'm not about to start." He informed her, while grabbing each one before throwing them on the bedroom floor. "There, woman, no more cushions barrier placed on __**our bed **__and __**in your head**__." He added, while shaking his head, before slowly contouring the bed to reach her standing position, his stare narrowed on her._

"_What do you mean, in my head?" She shrugged, while crossing her arms in front of her chest as a protection mechanism._

_Elijah grabbed Katerina's chin, before raising her trembling lashes in his stare._

"_You're creating in your head this invisible barrier between us, as a protection against me. Don't think I'm not aware of what you're feeling." He murmured, before playing with the silk belt of her dressing gown. "Is it working, Katerina? Are you able to put me at arm length in your private thoughts?" _

"_I don't know what you're talking about, __**Duke**__?" She replied, with a raised eyebrow. "I just thought that it would be polite of me to grant you the privacy of your wedding night in company of your new wife __**Katherine Pierce Mikaelson**__ on the other side of the cushion barrier. And in the meantime, I, __**Katerina Petrova**__, would be sleeping, quietly and peacefully on my side" She added, tit for tat._

"_It's one – zero for you, my dear." He murmured, smirking and highly amused, with his soft breath caressing her earlobe. "Then, I can only assume that __**Katerina Petrova**__ will become my mistress one day, soon? After all she'll be in the same bed with me and my wife."_

"_It's highly inappropriate, Duke Mikaealson, what would your wife think about your behavior of adultery?" She replied, mockingly, her heartbeats rising in her chest._

"_She'll understand." He whispered, while pulling on her silk belt before slowly opening both fabric panels of the dressing gown. "My new wife is quite opened to new possibilities in her life." _

"_Is she?" Katerina replied, while drowning her sight in Elijah's, a range of shivers hitting her entire body. "I thought we wouldn't…" She added, short of breaths, while feeling the fabric of her dressing gown slide on her bare arms, soon lying in a silk pile on the floor._

"_We won't, I am a man of my words." Elijah whispered, while raising his opened palms on the shivering skin of her arms. "But, I've never said that I wouldn't look at the menu that is offered to my eyes, did I?" He mocked, while sliding a strand of her hair behind her left ear. "I wanted to see how beautiful you look in the night gown I offered you as a wedding gift."_

"_And…Do you approve?" Katerina murmured. "Are you happy with the merchandise that you have paid good money for?"_

"_You're a beautiful woman, Katerina, you don't need reassurance." Elijah replied, while sliding his fiery sight on the lace fabric of the nightgown that left so little to his imagination. "But, stop talking about the fact that I've bought you, or we won't be able to move forward in our relationship." He added, while losing his smile all of a sudden, leaving her breathless in front of her side of the bed, while watching him walk back to his own, before seeing him lye under the sheet a second later, his opened book placed in his hands and on his lap._

_Katerina managed to have her shaking legs carry her to the bed, before taking a sitting position under the sheet and blanket, her upper body straight as an "I" with a couple of pillows placed behind her back, her hands joined on her lap. _

_Elijah glanced from the corners of his eyes at his wife, before lowering his book away from his sight._

"_Katerina, I won't jump your bones if it is what you are worrying about." He promised her. "You can relax now, you had a long day." _

_She turned her head to look at him in surprise._

"_It's actually the contrary aspect that I am worrying about." She shrugged her shoulders, while staring at her hands._

"_You care to explain it to me?" Elijah asked, softly._

"_I don't understand why you would buy a wife…" She started, before seeing his sight narrowed on her. "I meant….You would have a written agreement with a woman, and wouldn't take the __**dessert**__ that comes with it? I've never experimented this with a man before, usually, they will take the __**dessert**__ and they will not even think about it the next morning." _

"_Just to fulfill my curiosity, the dessert part in this context needs to be understood as the sexual part of our marriage?" Elijah asked, smirking._

"_Yes." Katerina sighed._

"_Do you want to have sex with me, Katerina? Are you attracted to me in a way that your life would be richer if you would have a sexual intercourse with me?" He asked, before drowning his sight in hers, and making her blush._

"_It's beside the point, Elijah; it's intended this way by the agency." Katerina replied, blushing. "I feel like I did something wrong, like I do not meet my share of the contract?"_

"_You just answered your own question without knowing it. One day you'll know the difference." Elijah replied, while sighing and dropping his book on the nightstand. "I think it's late, it was a long day, and we should sleep." He added, in an ordering voice, while turning the light off._

_Katerina stood in her sitting position, breathless and motionless for a couple of seconds, before lying on her left side of the bed, her back turned to his sight, with her right hand under the pillow._

"_Elijah?" She called, a few minutes later._

"_Yes Katerina?" He replied._

"_I'm not used to sleep on the left side of the bed … I'm terribly sorry…I've always slept on the right side since I was a little girl." She explained, while biting her bottom lip, and turning her head to take a glance at him. "But, I will try to get used to it, if you can't sleep on this side either?"_

_Elijah turned his head to stare into her eyes in the penumbra of the bedroom._

"_It makes no difference to me." He smiled. "Come."_

"_Thank you." She replied, smiling, while pushing the sheet and blanket at her feet. _

"_Where are you going?" Elijah asked, while grabbing her left wrist. _

"_I will walk to the right side?" She responded dumbfounded by his question._

"_Roll over me it will be easier." He suggested, taking her by surprise while sliding his right arm around her tiny waist, before bringing her body in top of his. _

_Katerina face came in almost contact with his, her eyes drown into Elijah's sight, their breaths mixing in a regular tempo, her hands and upper arms resting on his bare chest to keep her balance, while feeling the softness of his manly and muscular skin under each tip of her fingers, with hundreds of electrifying shivers hitting her spine and lower body parts all at once. _

"_You smell good." Elijah whispered, while lowering his hands on her lower back, before against his own good judgement raising the fabric of her night gown on her hips to slowly caress the roundness of her rear, over her tiny lace panties. "You need to go to your side of the bed, now…Or I won't respond to anything." He warned her, while closing his eyes, and slowly kissing her forehead._

_She stood immobile while suddenly feeling against her pelvic parts, the obvious proof of his sexual desire for her, with his hard bulge pushing its way between her legs under the barrier of their clothes._

_She rolled on the right side of the bed, under her jerky breaths and rising heartbeats, before raising the sheet over her shoulders._

"_Good night, Katerina." He wished her._

"_Good night." She replied, while closing her eyes and praying the sandman that he would make her fall asleep as quickly as possible._

* * *

_Carolina entered her husband suite reluctantly, before pushing the door on its arch and kicking her high heels shoes in opposite corners of the room, while suddenly sighing with relief. She was finally released of this hold on her feet, and also relieved of finally being done with this wedding day, though the worst was yet to come._

_She held her walking pace in the middle of Klaus's bedroom suite, while closing her eyes, and sighing loudly, both of her hands firmly placed on each side of her hips. She had been ready to call it quit for good in the small chapel, where the ceremony had been held in front of a hand full of witnesses, and then the most surprising twist of event had occurred in front of her sight. _

_She had seen something in her sister's eyes that she hasn't seen before: __**respect for a man**__. Katerina respected her new husband, __**Duke Elijah Mikaelson**__. She had known her sister long enough to know that she had never seen her sister falling in love or respect a man before. Men have always taken advantage of Katerina the major part of her life, and she had played their game to gain what she could from them. But, this time she had seen something else in her sister's eyes, and who was she to remove from her the only chance to find happiness with a man? Therefore, she had sacrificed herself to a life of misery with a man she did not love, for the happiness of her sister…How ironic was it, when it was intended to be the contrary?_

_But Carolina Petrova was resourceful when she wanted to be, and as much as Klaus wanted to have the upper hand on their wedding night, she had one last chance of delaying the inevitable, she thought while smirking at the sight of the crystal flutes and bottle of champagne placed on the mahogany table._

_Duke Klaus Mikaelson was right … They were much alike, and Carolina was about to give him a taste of his own medicine._

* * *

"_This is certainly a view of my new wife that I was not expecting to see tonight." Carolina heard his hoarse voice behind her back. "You…Holding a glass of champagne in your hands, while waiting for your __**husband.**__"_

_Klaus was standing on the threshold of the suite, with his left upper arm carelessly leaning on the arch and both of his upper arms crossed over his chest, with a smirk blessing the corners of his lips. He had stripped off his jacket; and folded the fabric on one of his arms, his tie was hanging on each side of his shirt, unbuttoned on his muscular chest, and his sleeves were rolled on his upper arms… As the view of sexiness goes, he was certainly reaching a perfect score, but Carolina could care less, she couldn't stand this man and his arrogance!_

"_I'm taking my new role as your new wife very seriously now." Carolina replied, while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat, before raising a glass of champagne to his sight. "Thank you for the champagne, the strawberries and the whip cream, it was very tactful of you." She thanked him, with a timid smile, before very suggestively, bite into one. "You care to join me for a toast?" _

_Klaus narrowed his sight on his wife while closing the door with a foot kick on its panel, slowly reaching Carolina's standing position, before throwing his jacket on an armchair and lowering his head near hers._

"_I thought I would have needed to put you on my shoulder, once more, kicking and screaming, while bringing you into the marital bed, Love?" He murmured near her left ear, while creating a shiver of fear in Carolina's spine. Her plan needed to work, or she would be lost forever!_

"_Why delay the inevitable." She forced a smile on her lips, while shrugging and handing the flute of champagne to him._

"_Indeed, why delay it?" He smirked, taking the glass from her hand, before dropping its crystal feet on the table, encircling her waist and bringing Carolina into his arms with a strong pull._

"_I thought … I thought we would toast our wedding day, now?" She mumbled, while grabbing both of his upper arms to keep her balance._

"_But you're so eager to not delay the inevitable, sweetheart." He said, while raising her chin with a grip of his right hand, before drowning his sight in hers. "And as your new husband I can only oblige to your sudden need to fulfill your wife obligation in my bed." Klaus answered, smirking, while sliding his lips on the left side of her neck, leaving an upward trail of hot kisses on her skin, before nibbling on her earlobe. "I'm eager as you are to make you mine in the biblical sense of the term." He whispered to Carolina, one of his hands placed at the base of her neck, while grabbing a hand full of her hair to bend her head._

_Carolina closed her eyes, under a dizzy spell, before biting her bottom lip._

"_But the strawberries look so delicious that I thought we could take a bite with the champagne?" She tried to divert his attention. _

"_And taking the chance to stain your beautiful dress, Love?" Klaus mocked. "Tsk, tsk, tsk… What are you thinking?"_

"_Maybe … Maybe I could go change into something more comfortable in my own suite?" She tried to gain time. "I … I could change into something sexier, perhaps?" _

"_I have a better idea." He smiled maliciously, while suddenly taking her by surprise by turning her body around. "Why don't we get rid of the dress?" He whispered, while slowly sliding both of his hands on her bare shoulders, down on her neckline, before tearing the silk fabric of the dress, from top to bottom. "There! That is more like it." Klaus smirked, before pushing the fabric down on her shaking body, in a pile of silk at her feet. "It's been hours that I wanted, desired, needed … To do this!" _

_Carolina grabbed the edge of the table, only dressed now with her lace corset and lace matching panties, while trying to keep her balanced standing position under her shaking legs, if not, she could easily fall on the floor over the pill of ripped fabric. The beats of her heart rose dangerously in her chest, under the range of her jerky breaths. She closed her eyes, while trying to calm herself down, mixed emotions of hate and desire taking control of her entire being against her better judgement._

"_I think it's only fair if I start undressing myself as well." She heard him whisper behind her back, before seeing his shirt fell over what used to be her "one piece" wedding dress. "Now where were we? You wanted to make a toast to our marriage, or am I mistaking?" Klaus asked, with a raised eyebrow, standing by her side near the table, while taking the flute in his right hand, before pouring the content into the ice bucket, a grin blessing the corners of his lips._

"_Why did you do that for?" Caroline asked, angrily, while stepping away from the table, before pointing a finger at the bucket, her chest rising under deep breaths._

"_What did you put into my glass, Love?" Klaus asked, while showing the flute and narrowing his sight on her, before dropping the flute on the table and starting to play with the fabric of his tie. "Was it drugs? I would probably bet good money that it was a night pill? You wanted to put me to sleep before we could consummate this marriage, Am I right, Carolina?" He suggested, while taking calculated, slow, walking steps to reach her standing position._

"_I don't know what you're talking about?" She shrugged, while blushing, the all range of red, before further the space between them, one walking step at a time._

"_You won't teach an old monkey how to play tricks, sweetheart." He smirked, while shaking his head. "It's me who invented them all."_

_Carolina glanced at the front door for a quick second, and her decision was made. She rushed toward the exit, before feeling the fabric of his tie wind around her waist, in a clever lasso throw, while being pulled back into his arms a second later. _

"_You want to play games, woman? I'm all for it, but I have other games in mind….Sexier, naughtier…" He whispered to her, his head buried in the left hollow of her shoulder, his full lips kissing the softness of her skin, one of his hands sliding around her waist, while bringing her in full contact with his naked, muscular chest, with the other one rising to slowly caress the roundness of her breasts, over the thin barrier of the lace corset. _

"_Let me go, please. You can't keep me against my will, or oblige me to have sex with you." She managed to whisper the words on her, half opened, trembling lips. She lowered her head on his chest, her left hand pulling on his arm placed around her waist, while trying to free herself of his embrace, with her right hand raised around his neck to keep her equilibrium on her shaking legs._

"_I'll never let go of you, I'll engrave those words in your mind, in your soul: you're mine forever now; Carolina, I'll wait as long as it takes for you to realize it…To realize that you want me as much as I want you." He whispered to her, before adding. "Your breasts are filling my hands perfectly, it's like you've been made for me." He mumbled the erotic words, while pushing the lace fabric of her corset down on her chest, the forbidden fruits now offered to his sight._

"_I don't want this, and I don't want you!" Carolina replied, in a shallow murmur, before contradicting herself by moaning loud sounds of pleasure._

"_She said, the woman who's moaning her sensual pleasure to my ears and in my arms." He murmured, growling his own rising pleasure, while aligning his pelvic bones with her narrowed hips, slowly rubbing the hard proof of his sexual need on her lower back, grabbing each side of her bottom before showing her the rhythmic rocking motion of lovers. "Cross both of your hands behind my neck, let me give you the most enjoyable sexual pleasure." He ordered her softly, while helping her crossed her hands behind his neck._

_Klaus raised his left hand back on her left breast, while slowly caressing the soft roundness and rubbing its hard tip with his thumb, before lowering his right under the elastic band of her lace panties._

"_No, I don't want this…" Carolina whispered, while rolling her head, from left to right, right to left, on his chest, her eyelids tightly closed, rising heartbeats pumping their sounds in her ears._

"_Yes, you do… Trust me, sweetheart." He calmed her, before slowly caressing her centered core with slow movements of his fingers. "You want me this much?" He smirked, while closing his eyes, and enjoying her sweet arousal under his fingers, before slowly rubbing her small rose bump with the dexterity of an experimented lover._

_It did not take a long time for Carolina breaths to intensify, and when Klaus felt that she was near reaching her sexual peak, he reopened his eyes to witness the intense explosion created in all her body by his expert caresses. _

_He, then, rapidly raised Carolina in his arms, before carrying her to the bed and lowering her shaking body on the bed sheet, rapidly undressing himself of his remaining clothes, a short moment after._

_Caroline reopened her eyes, suddenly blushing and turning her head to the left on the pillow, while avoiding Klaus' naked view and obvious proof of his sexual desire for her. _

"_Don't, Klaus … I beg you … You think you know everything about me, but you don't." She tried to explain, with a murmur coming from her shaking voice, her closed fists grabbing the edges of the pillow, while feeling his expert hands roll down her stockings suspenders on the length of her legs, soon replaced by kisses on her ankles._

"_I know that you want me more than your stubbornness is allowing you to admit, Love." He replied, before sliding her panties down, leaving to his sight her opened lace corset, giving him the most vivid erotic image of her breasts that a man could desire._

_She closed her eyes while noticing the weight of his body on hers, electrifying every inch of her skin, before feeling his hands slide between her legs to part them._

_He couldn't wait any longer, his sexual need to make Carolina his was taking his own retaining under a spell of its own. He sank deep into her core in a strong pelvic push under his grunt of satisfaction, before rapidly holding his thrusting pace; opening his eyes under the ultimate shock of feeling the thin skin barrier he had torn. _

_A little cry came out of Carolina's mouth, with a single tear running down her cheek, under the shrill but rapid pain of losing her virginity._

"_Why, Carolina? Why…" He whispered, while re-closing his eyes, under a range of intense mixed emotions. "I'll be gentle, but I can't … I can't…" He murmured more, with incoherence, before slowly and gently pushing himself back into her narrowest. _

_His released came rapidly, and when he rolled away from her body, she turned her back at him, while raising her shaking legs on her stomach and encircling them of her arms, with tears rolling freely on her cheeks._

_Klaus stepped away from the bed, grabbed his clothes from every corner of the bedroom floor, before sliding his pants on his legs. He, then, paced back and forth in the room, while passing a nervous hand through his tangled hair, before approaching the bed and bringing the bed sheet on her trembling body._

"_Don't touch me!" She yelled, while pushing his hand away from her. "Don't ever touch me again!" She warned him. _

_He sighed loudly, while closing his eyes, under an emotional pain that he had never felt before this day, and over the thousand years of his own life._

"_Why didn't you tell me? Why?" He yelled back, while pointing an accusatory finger at her._

_She kept quiet, under the only sound of her sobbing, before hearing the suite door being slammed on its arch. Then and only then, she finally realized that he had left the suite, and that she could finally let out all of her emotional and physical pain._

* * *

_**This chapter is dedicated to my friend Laurene (Nina99) who's battling (at her side) the breast cancer of her mother. Sweetie, this kind of cancer is affecting women all around the world, just know that my thoughts are with you and your mother, and if by any chance, I am able, with my stories, to put a smile to your face, I was able to give you something more than my unconditional support. I wish strength to both your mother and yourself. **_

_I thought this chapter would be the death of me…. LOL…This present one is wrapping the last part of the wedding. Up we go now, to the real, day to day, life as married couples, and the abrupt arrival of Rebekah, Kol and Stefan the morning after. Before you ask me, don't think that Kalijah will not come to its own sexual BOOM, because it will very soon. Both brothers are just very different in their approaches._

_Again, biggest thank you to all my faithful readers for your unconditional love of this story and for showing your appreciation with reviews, followings, favorites, I take all of this so much at heart._

_I'm going back to my two other stories now, so it will take a while before I can update this one, with summer arriving and more activities around the corner as well. But you were lucky, you've received two, back to back, chapters, and the last one had more than twenty pages of pleasurable reading. I'll come back to writing this story as soon as I can._

_**Much love to all of you,**_

_**Lovely Vero**_

* * *

_**Answers to anonymous reviews**__**:**_

_**Sissi: **__Thank you for enjoying this story so much, sweetie, it is always a pleasure to read new reviewers. _

_**VD: **__Thanks for your nice review, sweetie. I loved to write that scene when Katerina lost it in front of Elijah, and he was losing it himself to retain her by his side. _

_**iloveTVD: **__Hahaha… Why do I bother with Mikael?I bother because it is a joy for a writer to explore that dark character. LOL … Yes, I do believe that you would love to be carried on Klaus's shoulders. Where did you read that this fiction was ending? LOL … No, the wedding part is ending, but not the fiction, I can assure you this, and you can sleep peacefully. Thanks for your review, sweetheart, you're making me laugh each time._

_**Justine la coquine: **__Quelque chose me dit qu'après ce chapitre, elle va m'écrire du paradis. Je peux t'offrir quelque chose: de l'oxygène, un verre d'eau froide, une douche glacée? LOL … Bon, alors pour ta dernière review, j'en ai déduis que le sujet de Mikael t'emmerde à du 100 milles à l'heure? LOL … Je suis contente, je le garde avec nous alors, car il déclenche trop de passion chez toi. En plus tu semblais faire une vrai obsession sur la nuit de noce, je ne comprends pas pourquoi *je tousse*. On se marre un peu, car moi la saison 4 de TVD, elle m'a foutu le moral en bas de zéro. Et surtout, et encore, merci d'être toujours présente, Justine, tu es un rayon de soleil._

_**BTFS: **__Thanks for the review, sweetie. I think that the mark trend of this fiction is the high heels shoes of Katerina and the bare feet of Carolina, I love this idea that I had._


	10. The morning after

**SWEET KISSES FROM RUSSIA**

Fan Fiction – Alternate Universe

Caroline & Klaus

Elijah & Katherine

From:** Lovely Vero**

* * *

Chapter 9

"**The morning after****"**

* * *

_Disclaimer: This story is, and will always be, a **fiction story**, that is coming from the imagination of the author. It is not a bibliography of the author or any of the readers, neither a story that is exploring your own experience in life. It is not meant to be informative or to represent the perception or opinion of the author about the subject at hands in her own private life; it is not an encyclopedia, or a medical reference. It is only a fiction, the characters are fictional, and the story should be taken as such and not be mistaken with the private life of the readers or any of their personal experiences. Thank you._

_******Writer's note: Due to the delicate subject of this chapter that could seem abusive to some, please read with warning. Thank you.**_

* * *

_**Previously on Sweet Kisses from Russia**_

_**(…)**_

_A little cry came out of Carolina's mouth, with a single tear running down her cheek, under the shrill but rapid pain of losing her virginity._

"_Why, Carolina? Why…" He whispered, while reclosing his eyes, under a range of intense mixed emotions. "I'll be gentle, but I can't … I can't…" He murmured more, with incoherency, before slowly and gently pushing himself back into her narrowest. _

_His released came rapidly, and when he rolled away from her body, she turned her back at him, while raising her shaking legs on her stomach and encircling them of her arms, with tears rolling freely on her cheeks._

_Klaus stepped away from the bed, grabbed his clothes from every corner of the bedroom floor, before sliding his pants on his legs. He, then, paced back and forth in the room, while passing a nervous hand through his tangled hair, before approaching the bed and bringing the bed sheet on her trembling body._

"_Don't touch me!" She yelled, while pushing his hand away from her. "Don't ever touch me again!" She warned him. _

_He sighed loudly, while closing his eyes, under an emotional pain that he had never felt before this day, and over the thousand years of his own life._

"_Why didn't you tell me? Why?" He yelled back, while pointing an accusatory finger at her._

_She kept quiet, under the only sound of her sobbing, before hearing the suite door being slammed on its arch. Then and only then, she finally realized that he had left the suite, and that she could finally let out all of her emotional and physical pain._

* * *

_The rays of light passing through the tick fabrics of the curtains awaken Carolina from her deep sleep, her swollen and heavy eyelids forbidding her to open her eyes. She moaned her discontent under her semi-state of consciousness, before forcing herself to open her mind to the reality of this new day, while facing it courageously with a blur vision. _

_She pushed the blanket and sheet at her feet before rising on her two shaken legs, soreness taking her suddenly by surprise as a vivid physical reminder of last night event._

_She stood in front of the length mirror while sighing loudly. The time she had passed crying until the first hours of the day had swallowed her cheeks and darken the circles under her eyes to a point of no recognition of her own self, with the prove of her own reflection at the present moment. She passed a hand through her tangled hair before facing the bed once more and startling at the sight of the obvious red, blood stain left on the sheet. In an excess of rage she pulled the silk fabric away from the mattress, before throwing the sheet with anger on the wooden floor, her chest rising under her jerky breaths, while stomping her bare feet on it with all the rage still contained inside of herself._

_She finally sat down on the mattress while covering her eyes with her right hand, tears starting to fill her eyes. She shook her head before stroking her eyelids one last time, while raising her chin with proudness and breathing deeply. She had given enough of her tears to this man named: Klaus Mikaelson … No more! _

_She slowly rose on her legs with her sight suddenly attracted by a black jewellery box left on the side table, its cover attached with a yellow ribbon and a small card with her name written in calligraphic letters on it: "__**Carolina"**__, with all that had happened yesterday night, she haven't had the time to notice the box earlier. She bit her bottom lip, while against her own judgement reaching for it, before pulling on the ribbon to open the box. _

_Inside of the box, lying on the velvety black cushion, a delicate ankle chain with each letter of her name attached to each of its gold mesh. She reached for the card once more, and read its inside:_

_**To my wife  
Carolina, just know that I don't want to change you.  
I come to like you just the way you are.  
I hope this small token of my appreciation, will prove it.  
For your ankle when you are walking barefoot.  
I hope we'll enjoy our first night as husband and wife, Love?  
Fondly, Klaus  
**_

_She closed her eyes while feeling the beats of her heart rising dangerously in her chest. She couldn't have a coherent thought in her mind at the present moment; she felt a range of mixed feelings attacking her all at once. Carolina suddenly replaced the ankle bracelet in the box, before closing the cover and furiously throwing the box in the drawer of the nightstand. _

"_Damn you, Klaus Mikaelson!" She lashed out, while pointing the drawer, before pacing back and forth in front of the bed. "черт бы тебя побрал!" Damn you - She repeated in Russian. "You can't do what you did last night and then … This!" She added, before holding her pace and closing her eyes, with both closed fists placed on each side of her body. _

_She suddenly left the bedroom, while storming out of Klaus's suite a few seconds later with a loud slam of the door. She came back into the suite, while rapidly walking toward the bedroom, opening the drawer and furiously grabbing the jewelry box, before leaving the suite once again._

* * *

_Maria entered the parlor room, in normal pace of her morning tasks routine, before walking toward the bay window, while humming an old romantic song and opening the curtains._

"_Leave them closed." She heard a hoarse voice ordering her. "And please, stop humming that stupid song."_

_She startled with surprise, before turning on herself to face the intruder, while raising her right hand over her chest._

"_I've said to close the curtains!" Klaus ordered in a louder voice, while bringing the bottle of Whisky to his mouth._

"_Certainly, Duke." Maria replied, while reclosing the curtains in front of the day light, before turning to face Klaus who was presently sitting in one of the leather armchairs, still dressed with his wedding suit, the shirt opened on his chest, obvious stains of blood left on the fabric, his neck and hands. "Can I help you, Can I bring you…" _

"_I don't want anything. And don't you dare pity me, Maria, I hate when people pity me." He mumbled, angrily, while cutting her in the middle of the sentence, before gulping more alcohol. "The asshole that I am doesn't deserve pity; he only deserves to get drunk…Salute Maria!" He saluted, smirking, while raising the bottle and gulping the last drops of alcohol left in the bottle. "Well, this one is obviously empty?" He realized, before rising on his shaking legs, losing his balance repeatedly, while taking a few walking steps to reach the fireplace, before crashing the bottle on its bricks wall. "There… That is what my life has always been; thousands of broken pieces of glass dispersed everywhere, but yet, ready to be crushed in even more pieces." He added, while grabbing the fire mantle with his left hand, helping to keep his equilibrium, before sighing loudly and passing his right hand over his mouth. "Bring me another bottle." He asked of her._

"_I don't think that is such a good idea." Maria responded, while shaking her head and nervously rubbing her hands together. "Perhaps I could bring you a strong cup of coffee?"_

"_I said: Bring me another bottle!" He lashed out at her._

_She nodded her head, while directing her walking steps toward the bar, before grabbing a bottle of Brandy and bringing the alcohol back to him._

_He grabbed the bottle from her hands, before snapping the cap and gulping some more. After a short moment, he finally turned his teary eyes toward the governess._

"_What are you looking at? Don't you have something else to do than observing the jerk that I am destroying his pathetic life?" He asked her._

"_You have blood all over you; maybe you should take time to clean yourself a little bit?" She asked, while slowly raising a clean cloth in her right hand._

_Klaus lowered his head, before bursting into laughter._

"_You think that I could also erase all my sins with this cotton cloth, Maria?" He asked her, while grabbing the small piece of fabric from her hands, before rubbing the blood from his skin. "I don't remember how many victims I attacked last night, isn't it ironic?" He added, with a demoniac smile plastered on his lips. "I believe that one of them was named Michelle, and her perfume smelled like Jasmine flowers."_

"_You had a relapse, it happens. But, I'm sure that your turmoil is not as bad as it looks?" She tried to encourage him, while addressing a timid smile and nodding her head._

"_You think you know me don't you?" He asked her, his sight lost in hers. "And in the most twisted way, you actually do, and you don't even know it!" He laughed to her face. "And you're right; Maria, my turmoil is not as bad, it's way, way worst that you could even imagine." He replied, before throwing the cloth in the fire place. "Now go … Leave me alone!" He ordered the governess, before grabbing the fire mantle with both hands and bending his head._

_Maria nodded her head, before storming out of the parlor room._

* * *

_Katerina opened her left eye while noticing the day light filtering through the curtains of the bedroom windows. She lay on her chest a few extra minutes, a blissful smile plastered on her lips, before stretching her arms above her head and suddenly frozen all her movements with the memory of yesterday events coming at her all at once._

_She frantically raised the sheet over her chest, before turning her head toward the other side of the bed, thankfully her new husband, the Duke Elijah Mikealson had left the marital bed early, she thought while closing her eyes and sighing with reliefs, her right forearm placed over her forehead. She pushed the sheet at her feet, before rising on her legs, and while standing immobile for a few seconds with her eyes shot, both hands on each side of her waist, before taking deep breaths to calm herself down._

_For anyone who would have liked to know, this has been Karolina's Petrova ...Now newly married and renamed: Katherine Pierce Mikaelason, wedding night, and a very __**chaste**__ one if she may add to herself. But, who would be interested to learn the biggest mistake she had made in her entire life? She had managed to married the only man that was not interested to fulfil his biblical obligation as a husband to her. In a sense she should be happy to live a life of luxury without having to sell her body for it, but for an inexplicable reason she felt unhappy and unsettle by this all situation between them. _

_She dragged her feet toward the bathroom door before strolling inside the luxury room, firstly unaware of the deep steam filling the air and misting the mirrors. She suddenly raised her sight in the one of her husband, while standing mouth opened, motionless, and frozen of all her coherent thoughts, before sliding her sight, on her husband naked body, from his head to his toes. _

_Elijah had stepped outside of the glass shower, while managing to grab a body towel on a near hook in the nick of time of his wife apparition in front of his sight, before covering the essential to her view. But, the damn fabric kept sliding from his wet hands down on his body before finding its rightful place on the marble floor._

"_Well, this did not go certainly as planned?" He mocked, while lowering his eyes on the towel lying at his feet. "Would you say, Katerina?" He added, mockingly, while raising his sight in the one of his wife. _

_For Katerina one thing was certain; the nature had spoiled Elijah in all the right places, she thought while blushing and suddenly rushing by his side, kneeling in front of him to pick up the towel that he had just dropped on the floor, before raising her head and sight directly into his pubic area, a fire reaching her cheeks in a time space of a second._

"_And this is something that I did not see coming, either." Elijah added, smirking, while putting both of his hands on each side of his waist. "But, don't let me be the one to protest in any shape or form." _

"_W… ha …What?" Katerina stuttered the word, under her blurry mind, before raising her head and sight into Elijah's. "No! You're mistaking." She added firmly, while rising on her legs, before wrapping Elijah's waist with the body towel, with a knot on his left hip to keep it for falling again, all of this, under his dumbfounded and speechless expression. "I just wanted to help." She explained, before standing in front of her husband, while rubbing her hands nervously. "After all I'm the one who should be sorry for the intrusion; I forgot to knock on the door panel before entering the bathroom, it's my bad." _

"_No harm done." Elijah replied, before taking a step nearer to Katerina's standing position, his head bending so close, his lips almost touching the lobe of her left ear. "We are married, Katerina, you can enter whenever you want, it is not upsetting me the least. I also believe that you saw all there is to see about my naked self." He mocked, while gently grabbing her chin and losing his sight in hers._

"_I've seen my share of naked man in my existence, Elijah, nothing to lose unconsciousness about." She shrugged, falsely at ease, and with a raised eyebrow._

"_And, were you pleased with what you just saw, do I get a good score under your qualified male radar?" He asked her, a smile curving the corners of his lips._

"_Average, I guess." She replied, while blushing and lying through her teeth, before biting her bottom lip._

_Elijah took a step away from her before lowering his head and bursting into laughter._

"_A breath of fresh air that is what you are to me, Katerina." He responded, while raising his right hand and caressing her left cheek, before adding. "Did you sleep well?"_

_She nodded her head as a response to him._

"_Well, now that the awkwardness of my naked average body is behind us, I'll let you at your morning routine, and go dress myself in the bedroom." He added, politely, while nodding his head to her, before taking his first steps toward the bathroom door._

"_I don't mind if you stay if you need to do your own morning routine, I just needed to pee." She shrugged more, while seeing him turn to take a stupefied glance at her._

"_You want me to stay in the bathroom while you pee?" Elijah repeated, while crossing his arms in front of his naked chest, in a state of total shock. _

"_Forget what I've said!" Katerina replied, ashamed, while passing rapidly by Elijah's standing position. "I'll go get dressed and pee in my own suite." She added, while blushing, before slamming the door in front of his speechless expression._

* * *

"_Good morning, Mister Mikaelson." Maria greeted him, while lowering a silver platter on his desktop, before pouring tea in a porcelain cup. "You're up very early; I thought you would appreciate a cup of tea." _

"_Thank you, Maria; it's very thoughtful of you." He replied, smiling at her, before grabbing the handle and bringing the suiting hot beverage to his lips. _

"_Did you and your wife sleep well?" She inquired, politely, while smiling and standing in front of his desk with her crossed hands in front of her chest._

"_Yes, we had a lovely first night in our suite, thank you." He replied, while raising his head from his opened file, before drowning his sight in the one of the governess. "Is everything set for the morning brunch in the main dining room?"_

"_It is, Mister Mikaelson, everything will be ready for 11:30 o'clock, sharp." She replied, smiling, while nodding her head._

"_Thank you again for your services and that will be all, Maria." He added, before suddenly noticing her awkward and immobile presence in front of his desk. "Is there something wrong?"_

"_Actually, it's something I believe that you should know." She explained, uncomfortably, while blushing._

"_I'm listening?" He replied, while lowering his pen on the desktop._

"_I've found your brother in the main parlor room, earlier this morning, with several bottles of alcohol left on the floor, by his side, Mister Mikaelson. He's still there as we speak." She informed him. "Please, I can assure you that it's never my intention to put my nose where it doesn't belong." _

_Elijah sighed loudly, while raising his right hand to stroke his eyelids, before lowering his back on the desk chair, his hands joined in front of his chest. _

"_I'll take care of it." Elijah replied, while nodding his head. "Thank you for informing me, Maria."_

"_Very well, sir." She replied, before turning on herself and directing her walk toward the exit of the study room. _

"_Maria?" Elijah called her._

"_Yes?" She replied, before turning on herself and facing him._

"_You're family to us, please remember that." He smiled timidly at her._

"_You're very kind, Mister Mikaelson." She replied, smiling, before grabbing the door handle._

"_Maria?" He called again._

"_Yes, Mister Mikaelson, may I be of other services?" She asked._

"_Did you … I mean, it's kind of personal and private, actually." He tried to ask, while lowering his head and blushing._

"_It will stay in all confidentiality; I can assure you of that." She assured him, while straightening her upper body and crossing her hands behind her back._

"_I know, you're a trustworthy person, I never doubted that since you've became our governess." He reassured her. "I just feel like I'm the old boy who just got married, and knows nothing about married life." He confessed, while hitting the pen repeatedly on the desktop. _

"_Well, excuse my forwardness…" Maria started with uneasiness of how to formulate her sentence._

"_Please, be frank with me." He begged her, with a hand gesture._

"_But… You had your share of …" She added, before coughing discreetly. "How may I put it politely, Mister Mikaelson. You had your share of intimate relationships with women over the years." _

"_Yes, but not a single one of them ever ask me to watch them pee." He lashed out, while throwing his pen on the desk and sighing loudly, before passing a nervous hand through his hair._

_Maria lowered her head, while holding the intense urge to burst into laughter._

"_Oh please, I won't feel offended if you laugh at me." Elijah assured Maria, while closing his eyes and shaking his head._

"_I'm so sorry, Mister Mikaelson, pardon me … It was just a moment of bewilderment." She replied, while raising her head and biting her lips to forbid her to laugh._

"_Don't worry about it, I know the awkwardness of the situation, believe me. I'm sorry for keeping you, you can leave now." He encouraged her to do._

"_Mister Mikaelson, if I may add something?" She asked him, politely._

"_You may…" Elijah responded, while crossing his arms over his chest._

"_I believe your wife is reaching out to you, in an awkward but adorable way." She explained, a smile blessing her lips._

"_She doesn't need to reach out, I'm always available." He shrugged._

"_Well …. You're seeing this as a man perspective, and man logic." Maria tried to explain._

"_Which makes sense, I'm a man." Elijah replied._

"_Yes, but as a woman perspective, I believe your wife is longing for more closeness." Maria found the courage to let the sentence out. _

_An awkward silence suddenly filled the study room, disturbed by the discreet tic-tac-toc noise of the wall clock. _

"_That will be all, Maria." Elijah finally released his governess for this awkward moment._

"_Thank you, Mister Mikaelson." She nodded, before storming out of the study room, and sighing with reliefs while closing the door behind her._

* * *

_Maria stood immobile in front of the kitchen window, her arms crossed over her chest, her sight lost in the winter scenery, before turning her head at the discreet cough sound._

"_Miss Katerina." She greeted the young woman, with a smile. "May I be of services? Oh my bad, what was I thinking, I should name you with your married name as of now."_

_Katerina shrugged her shoulders, while detaching herself from the threshold of the kitchen entrance._

"_Would it be too much to ask to keep calling me the same way you used to call me?" She asked the governess._

"_No, of course not… I don't see any harm in that." Maria agreed, while nodding her head in respect. "Can I do something for you?" _

"_I can get my cup of coffee myself, thank you." Katerina answered her, while taking a few steps toward the coffee maker._

"_Allow me." Maria suggested, while taking a single cup filter from a near box left on the kitchen counter. "Double espresso?" _

"_Yes, please … And thank you." Katerina replied, while smiling timidly._

"_You share the same taste as your husband." Maria informed, smiling, while pushing the start button. _

"_That should make a big difference." Katerina mumbled, angrily, between her teeth, while rolling her eyes._

"_I'm sorry…" Maria asked, dumbfounded._

"_Nothing….Don't mind me." She replied to the governess, while shaking her head._

"_Mister Mikaelson asked me to prepare a family brunch around the lunch hour, in the main dining room; in the meantime, I could prepare you a toast to fill the hunger void in your stomach, my child?" Maria suggested._

"_What about my anger void?" Katerina murmured to herself, while crossing her arms in front of her chest._

_Maria smirked at her comment, before grabbing a plate on a shelf, and cutting a slice of bread, before opening the small bread oven._

"_Something you have on your mind, Miss Katerina?" Maria asked._

"_Am I attractive, Maria? I mean, for the English men?" Katerina asked the governess, openly._

"_I beg your pardon!" Maria exclaimed, outraged._

"_I mean… I know in Russia men were finding me attractive, but in England maybe … Maybe they have other taste." She shrugged, in sadness._

"_From where is this ludicrous idea coming from, Miss Katerina?" Maria asked, while lowering the butter on the kitchen counter. "You're extremely attractive and beautiful."_

_Katerina turned her head to avoid Maria's persistent glance, before crossing her hands behind her back, while jumping up from one foot to the other._

"_It's coming from nowhere." She finally responded, while raising her sight in the one of the governess._

"_Miss Katerina… You have a wrong perception of how your husband is seeing you, if you need to believe in something, believe my say to you." Maria replied to her. "Mister Mikaelson had grown very fond of you in a very short period of time of your presence in these walls."_

"_He had a strange way of showing it." She rolled her eyes._

"_He's a man, my child; don't wish for too much at first." Maria replied, while rolling her eyes herself, before handing the cup of coffee to the young woman. "Maybe you should encourage him a little?" Maria gave the idea. "I mean there is certainly nothing wrong in pushing someone in the right direction, is there?" She suggested more, while winking at Katerina._

_Katerina shrugged her shoulders, uncertain of Maria suggestion to her, before grabbing the plate and the cup of espresso._

"_Thank you … I mean for both this and the advice." Katerina thanked her, while taking her first steps toward the door. _

"_You're welcome." Maria replied, smiling. "Nice slippers by the way, Miss Katerina." She mocked._

"_Thank you." Katherina replied, smirking, before adding. "They were the only four inches slippers."_

"_Oh I'm sure, Mister Mikaelson, will appreciate them." Maria added, while raising her right hand in front of her mouth, forbidding herself to burst into laughter._

* * *

"_I hope you have a good reason for this misplaced display of anger, Niklaus?" Elijah asked his brother, while entering the parlor room and trying to avoid the broken glass left on the wooden floor. _

_The eldest stood in front of the youngest while burying his hands in his pants pockets, his sigh narrowed intensively on Klaus._

"_You know me, Elijah, always the black sheep of the family." Klaus responded, while taking another gulp. "Cheer, brother!" He saluted, before drinking some more._

"_Since when did you start to drink?" Elijah asked, while approaching him and abruptly grabbing the bottle from Klaus's hand. _

"_Is it important?" Klaus responded, while shrugging and walking to reach the bar, before frantically opening the doors to find more bottles as his disposition, but without finding any. "It's empty; I'll need to go downstairs to the cellar."_

"_You drank enough." Elijah replied, with an ordering tone of voice._

"_Says who?" Klaus responded, while shrugging his shoulders. "The conscience of this family, I suppose, Elijah the majestic, the only one among us who always stood for the respect of this fucked up humanity. How ironic? Because you see Elijah, we are not humans anymore."_

"_If you could have the decency to tell me from where, the blood stains on your shirt are coming from?" Elijah demanded. _

"_Michelle, Clara … Lise… and after that last one, I unfortunately lost count." Klaus smirked, before losing his balance and finding himself fall into a sitting position on the leather sofa._

"_The police will come asking for answers again, Klaus, what am I supposed to tell them this time?" Elijah asked, angrily, and while sighing loudly. "And why aren't you with Carolina, remember her, your new beautiful wife?"_

"_Relax Elijah; the poor human victims are all alive. I just drank a little cocktail of all their bloods, before letting them go. If my memory is serving me right, they were still breathing at that time." Klaus replied, before passing a hand though his tangled hair. "Worst case scenario, you'll tell the police that it is impossible that I was the one martyrizing them because at the same time I was brutalizing my wife in our suite." He added, with a sadistic smile, before rising on his shaking legs and raising his teary sight in the one of his brother._

_Elijah stood immobile for a couple of seconds, with a speechless expression plastered on his face, before raising a hand toward his brother._

"_What happened to you and Carolina, last night, Niklaus?" He asked, calmly, while shaking his head in disbelief, before putting both of his closed fists on each side of his waist._

_Klaus closed his eyes, before dragging his feet toward the closed curtains, before opening the fabric under the grey winter sky of London._

"_I had no idea she wasn't experienced, Elijah. I swear to you, I never expected it." Klaus confessed, while shaking his head, tears rolling fluently on his cheeks._

"_What are you saying?" Elijah added, in shock._

"_I'm not sure." Klaus added, while passing the back of his right hand on his wet cheeks. "I don't know anymore, I keep seeing all these images in my head, and I'm still not sure what happened exactly?"_

"_Please, reassure me that you did not physically abuse your wife?" Elijah asked, his jerky breaths raising his chest._

_Klaus kept quiet, while swallowing a nervous lump in his throat._

"_Oh, for God sake, what did you do, Niklaus?" Elijah exclaimed, while raising his right hand and stroking his eyelids. "Why would you jeopardize the only good and decent relationship you had since centuries while not respecting her intimately? What possessed you to hurt her this way, couldn't you have the decency to be gentle with her? She is not one of your conquests that you'd picked up in a bar, she is your wife!"_

"_I never thought I was hurting her!" Klaus lashed out, while turning on himself to face his brother. "I thought she wanted me, the same way I wanted her! God I wanted her, but as it turns out, she wanted out of this marriage from the beginning. She never wanted me." He added. "It's the last thing that I wanted to do, to hurt Carolina this way, the last thing … Please, believe me, Elijah?" Klaus mumbled, while reaching the arm chair, taking a sitting position and burying his head in his hands._

_A silence filled the room for a short moment before Elijah could speak again._

"_You're entirely at fault, Niklaus. You could twist it all the ways you want, you would still be at fault." He said to him._

"_There is nothing that you could say to me, now, that I did not already thought or said to myself." Klaus responded._

"_Let me finish." Elijah ordered him, while raising a finger at him, before pacing back and forth in front of his brother sitting position. "You are the investigator of these arranged marriages. You convinced me to participate in this idea that I thought at first was the most ludicrous one I've ever heard, but after consideration, I agreed to it, because I fell under the charm of this Russian girl named Katerina. She is a beautiful, young woman, intelligent, cultured, I thought, like you, that all these mistresses were not for us anymore. And I agreed to it. I agreed to give it a try."_

"_What is your point, Elijah?" Klaus asked, while raising his sight in the one of his brother._

"_My point, Niklaus, is that I gave it more consideration that you ever did. You thought that your power and money would grant you whatever your wish of the moment was, and you never saw the human being behind this young woman named: Carolina, you saw a way to an end." Elijah added. "You did not even grant both of you, the time to know yourselves better before furthering your relationship."_

"_I never learned how to be different, Elijah." Klaus responded, a single tear rolling on his left cheek. "I always took, because no one wanted to give me what I always been longing for." _

"_Love can't be bought, Klaus, it simply can't." Elijah replied, while shaking his head._

"_Then, what did you do yourself?" Klaus responded, tit for tat._

"_Probably the same mistake that you did. But, the difference is that I will try to, gentlemanly, live up to it." Elijah answered. "This said, you played with fire and you got burned, and in the process you made a huge mistake."_

"_Is that all?" Klaus asked, while sticking his head into his shoulders._

"_No, it's not." Elijah replied. "You have your long list of flaws, Niklaus, and I know most of them, believe me, but terrorizing women has never been part of that list." He added. "Even if I believe that you are the investigator of this awful turn of event, I believe that Carolina has her own wrongs. She should have informed you of her inexperience; it is not written on her forehead. She should have informed you of her need to get out of this marriage agreement, as well as her own sister. She should have acted like a grown up woman and not like a young teenager." Elijah addressed the issue, while burying his hands in his pants pockets. "But, you're still at fault, and you'll need to fix it the more honorable way possible." Elijah concluded, while turning on himself before walking toward the entrance door of the parlor room._

"_Because of me, you'll lose Katerina." Klaus mumbled, between his teeth. "I'm … I'm so sorry."_

"_Yes Niklaus. I figured that much." Elijah replied. "And now I wonder how it would be even possible to start to explain to them what we truly are." He added, before slamming the door behind him._

* * *

_Elijah had summoned Katerina in his study room ten minutes ago, and now she was standing motionless in front of him, while keeping her sight lost in the emptiness of the room, all coherent thoughts absent from her mind. _

_He had exposed to her the present situation between Carolina and his brother, but she wasn't sure she had entirely understood the consequences of last night event. She only knew one thing for sure; she had made a mistake while believing that this arranged marriage, with a wealthy man, would make her sister happy. Carolina was a pure and free spirit, and she was not ready for what life has put her through._

_She raised her teary sight in the one of Elijah, who addressed a timid smile to her, while raising his right hand and caressing both of her cheeks. _

"_I'm not sure if I fully understood what you've just said to me?" She mumbled the words._

"_You did." Elijah confirmed, while nodding his head._

"_But she… They seemed happy at the wedding and then at the reception, and they seemed to get along just fine." Katherine added, while grabbing her head with both hands._

"_She doesn't want to be with him. Your sister's say, I couldn't attest of the truthfulness of her words." He added, as explanation. "I just know that my brother is deeply sorry of his actions, he was attracted to her but it was not reciprocated."_

"_He's sorry? I don't give a damn if he is sorry or not, he hurt my sister." Katerina lashed out, while pointing a finger at Elijah. "She should have been with you; she should have married you, not him!"_

"_Oh come on, Katerina, it's not a game of chess, we're playing. Things are how they are supposed to be, if you believe otherwise, it will change nothing." Elijah replied, angrily, at her._

"_But, you were respectful and you did not force yourself on me." She exclaimed, angrily. "I have to find my sister." She added, while turning on herself._

"_Please, don't go." He suggested, while grabbing her right forearm, before pulling her near him. "Yes, I respect you, Katerina, but we are different from your sister and my brother. We had put our cards on the table from the beginning, we managed to understand each other and accept what this arrangement would bring to us, the gain and the down side. We discussed the clauses like adults and we accepted the conditions. They didn't!" He explained to her._

"_It is still not an excuse." She mumbled, between her teeth, while pushing herself away from his grip and walking toward the office door, before grabbing the handle with her right hand._

_Elijah push the door closed in front of her sight, before placing both of his hands on each side of her upper body, on the wood panel._

"_Katerina, please listen to me." He murmured, his muscular chest pressed on her back, his mouth near her right ear._

"_What is left to listen, Elijah? You just told me that your brother had physically abused my sister, and you are asking me to stay calm and not react?"_

_He grabbed both of her forearms before turning her body to face him. _

"_I think there is more than meet the eyes between the two of them." Elijah said to her. "I don't think it was that easy to label as __**an assault**__. I think their nerves took the best of them."_

"_It's my baby sister." She mumbled, tears rolling on her cheeks. "She is hurt because of me. It's me who pushed her into this arranged marriage, Elijah, being the fault of your brother or hers; it doesn't change the outcome of me being the investigator."_

"_I know, and it's my brother also, Katerina. And believe me, I know how stupid he can be most of the time, but I never known him as an abuser." He reassured her. "As for your sister, you perfectly know that you've never twisted her arm to marry Klaus, she did it in her all free will. Now if she did it for the wrong reasons, she is at fault to have lied to him, and mostly to you."_

"_What are you saying to me?" She asked, while grabbing his forearms to keep her balance._

"_I'm saying that they will need to figure out between themselves what happened." Elijah tried to calm her down. "I believe that my brother made a huge mistake, but if this is any twisted consolation, he usually makes them when he cares about someone. And I think he has deep feelings for your sister."_

"_She is a baby, and your brother hurt her." She lashed out, while trying get free of Elijah's grip, without being able to succeed. _

"_That is the burden of this humanity, Katerina. We hurt others all the time. Carolina is a grown up woman of twenty two years old, who had her own flaws and wrongs in this present situation." Elijah tried to explain to her, while pushing her wrists on the door panel. "Believe me, I am not excusing my brother for his actions, but I understand that they are both at fault."_

_Katerina closed her eyes, her chest rising up and down, alternatively, under her jerky breaths._

"_You need to let Carolina take her own responsibilities and become the woman she is meant to be. She needs to grow up. She can't count on her sister saving her skin all the time." Elijah added to his wife. "Ok? Are you agreeing to give them the necessary time to sort this out?"_

"_Ok." Katerina agreed, while nodding her head._

"_You're sure?" Elijah asked her, with a raised eyebrow._

"_Yes" She replied. "I'll give your bother an hour, not a single minute more."_

"_It's fair enough." He replied, while letting go of his grip on her, before walking toward the window, hands buried in his trousers pockets, sight lost into the grey sky._

"_In the worst upcoming case, you'll soon have two plane tickets at your disposition, as well as a Russian bank account established at your name." Elijah explained to her. "I'll contact the agency and explain to them that we've decided to mutually end this marriage for incompatibility. You and your sister will be free to go, Katerina."_

"_I don't want your money, Elijah, even if you are trying to do the honorable thing." She told him, while shaking her head. "If I could, I'll do my end of the bargain and stay here as your wife, like it was planned, but I need to think of my sister happiness above all. I need to know that she is happy, and I realize now that I forced her into a relationship she never wanted to begin with." She tried to explain. "And if she doesn't want to be with your brother, I can't force her."_

"_As for the money, I think it's the least I can do to assure the new start in life that you've wanted for you and your sister." He replied. "Though, there is still a good chance that you'll stay here, by my side, in this mansion, as my wife." He added, before turning to face her, with a smile blessing his lips._

"_What you're saying? She won't start to like him in the time space of an hour, Elijah, we both know better." She responded to her newly husband, while crossing her arms in front of her chest._

"_Yes, and it is because I know better, than I am able to conclude that she is not indifferent to Klaus." Elijah explained to her, while drowning his sight in Katerina's. "I actually think she could be good for him, and vice-versa."_

"_I don't understand?" She responded, while shaking her head._

"_They are both the same, Katerina: restless, unwise, and brutally passionate. They'll fight each other, because they don't know better and are scare." He explained, while sitting on the edge of his desktop, before crossing his arms in front of his chest and adding. "She stayed in his bedroom suite all night; I've checked with my night guard." He informed her. "Please, don't look at me with these judging eyes, like I did something wrong, I am trying to help." He added, while tilting his head._

"_I presume that most of my moves are under your guard's eyes also?" She asked, with a raised chin._

"_Mostly, yes, I won't lie. You're one of my most precious possessions, Katerina, I need to keep you safe." He replied, truthfully, while making her blush. "To come back at the subject at hands, your sister unconsciously waited for my brother to come back to her. She could have left his suite at any time, but she stayed in his bed. In the first hours of the morning she could have reached out to you, and as of now you would have left this manor. But, she didn't." Elijah shrugged. "Let them realize where they are standing with each other."_

"_One hour." Katerina bestowed, while drowning her sight in Elijah's._

"_One hour." Elijah repeated, nodding, before lowering his sight on her feet. "Nice slippers, Katerina? I believe it's the first ones I ever saw with high heels." He added, while smirking and winking at her._

* * *

_The noise of the front door being closed on its arch took Carolina by surprised, soon followed by the cold flow of air softly caressing her bare shoulders._

_She felt the beats of her heart raising dangerously, her left hand placed over the chest, to calm her down. _

_The rhythmic slow tempo of Klaus's boots on the wooden floor rezoned into her ears, while approaching the bedroom where she was standing in front of the window, before stopping radically over the threshold._

_She closed her eyes, with only the awkward silence filling the room, only disturbed by the heartbeats of her heart._

_Klaus closed his eyelids, while listening to the calming tempo sounds of the raising heartbeats in Carolina's chest: Lub dub, Lub dub, Lub dub. He reopened his eyes, while narrowing his sight at her back, her blond hair cascading over her bare shoulders. _

_He shook his head; while forbidding himself to ever have one more thought of desire for his wife._

"_I thought you would have been gone by now." He murmured the words, while lowering his head, his blurry sight kept on the floor._

"_I don't have anywhere else to go, and I wouldn't leave my own sister behind." She answered him, after a short while, while mumbling the words and bringing, with her shaking hands, a cup of coffee to her lips. _

"_Carolina, I'm …" He tried to apologize, while raising his sight at her._

"_I left the soiled sheet on the floor." She informed him, abruptly._

_Klaus startled at her say, while closing his eyes and biting his bottom lip through the skin, drops of blood running down his chin, before closing his fists in anger … Anger, mostly directed at his own selfishness._

"_I think Maria will see the blood stain left on the fabric. I should have washed them myself." She added, while shaking her head. "I did not think clearly, early this morning."_

"_Are the sheet still on the floor now?" Klaus asked, with a hoarse voice, tears filling his eyes._

"_Yes" She murmured the word._

"_I'll go take care of it." He responded, while turning on himself, being on the verge of leaving the room._

"_Please, stay … It wouldn't change anything now." She said, while retaining him in the bedroom. "What's done is done. We can't change the past." She added, before turning on herself and facing his back. "I'm obviously not a virgin anymore. That is something that I can regain for myself, and that you can't give back to me." She concluded, toneless and emotionless, while dropping the cup of coffee on the nightstand._

_The pain that Klaus felt in his entrails couldn't have been worst, except for the one that he felt in the deepness of his soul. He turned on himself, before facing her, and raising his sight in the one of the young Russian woman. _

_He swallowed a lump in his throat at her view: her gaze was empty of all emotions, puffed eyelids and dark circles under her eyes were a clear indication of a sleepless night. She was wearing a pink sweat pants and a large white sweater that denuded her frail shoulders._

_She startled at Klaus's sight, even if she had promised to herself to stay emotionless and indifferent. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a white Hayley, long sleeves, t-shirt, rolled on his forearms, he had the greenish complexion of a man that had drank all night, and no life, sparkles or passion left in his blue eyes._

"_You got drunk? Did you?" She asked him. "I'm used to the signs, as a Russian; I've seen my share of drunken men in taverns." She added. "Why did you drink?"_

_He lowered his sight, unable to face the reflection of his errors in her eyes, unable to face himself, his fears, his guilty conscience…But more so, unable to face his wife._

_He approached a nearby side table, while reaching for an envelope left in one of his jeans pockets, before lowering it on its top._

"_I wanted to forget. Alcohol makes you forget, Carolina." He replied._

"_You had nothing to forget, Klaus. You followed the clauses of our contract; it is me who did not." She replied, with a cold tone of voice, while closing her eyes under a too strong emergence of emotions, before reopening them and glancing at the envelope left on the table. "What is it? You're bringing me in front of lawyers for breaking the contract?"_

"_In the envelope you'll find plane tickets for you and your sister, you'll go back to Russia. Elijah will take care of the papers for the agency. There will be a bank account set at your name. It's so little…" He sighed loudly. "But, it's the only thing I can do … to help. You're free of me, Carolina." He concluded, before taking a few steps away from the table._

_Carolina approached the table, before reaching for the envelope and taking a look at the tickets and random papers in its inside. She suddenly tore the all content, with pieces of paper now falling on the wooden floor, under the shocked expression of Klaus._

"_But you won't be free of me, Klaus." She replied, while raising her chin at him, tears filling her eyes. "You wanted me as a wife; you'll have me as one, now."_

"_You don't want to be my wife, Carolina, I'm giving you a way out…Take it!" He lashed out at her, while passing a hand through his hair. "Leave … Start new, try to forget that this ever happened."_

"_I wanted …." She tried to explain, her voice cracking under the emotion, tears rolling on her cheeks. "I wanted to fall in love, the old fashion way, I wanted for a man to cherish me, to love me for me. I wanted the fairy tale version of books. But this is real life; this is not a romance level." She added, while passing the back of her right hand on her wet cheeks. "And then, this all contract of an arranged marriage between us was a wakeup call, I've realized that what I always dreamed of was not real in this world. That is why I have so much anger inside of me, and that I've taken my anger on you, that I've tried to trick you, foolishly and childishly, when in fact, you were the honest one between the two. You were presenting yourself as the imperfect man that you are, but at least you were honest about what you wanted from me. You've never sugar coated your intentions to me, I was the one being dishonest to you, and it is my dishonesty that brought me the pain that I'm feeling now."_

"_You don't want to stay here, by my side, Carolina. I'm a horrible man, too horrible for a pure and young woman life you. I've managed to shatter all your dreams in a time space of a few hours." Klaus replied, while pacing back and forth in the bedroom. "I've killed your beautiful smile, your spirit, your soul. I've taken, against your will, what you have kept intact for someone that would have been worth of loving you."_

"_In the real world, people become the most imperfect version of themselves, Klaus." She said, while shrugging her shoulders. "I know that because I had become the worst I've ever been, yesterday night, when I've tried to drug you."_

"_I wish you had succeeded, it would have been easier for both of us." Klaus sighed, while lowering his head, lost in a range of turmoil that he had never experienced in his hybrid life before._

"_Do you believe in love, Klaus?" She asked him, while taking the Original by surprise._

"_No, I don't." He murmured, while raising his teary sight in hers, before sighing loudly. "But you do, and you deserve to find it, somehow, somewhere in this world." _

"_No, I don't want to find it, because I don't believe in this fairy tale anymore." Caroline replied, while shrugging her shoulders. "So, why would I leave? Why would I expose myself to the outside world, when I know, now, the kind of world I've put myself into while being your wife?"_

"_You want me to hurt you again?" Klaus asked her, before taking a few walking steps to reach Carolina's standing position, while making her step away from him, with fear showing in her eyes. "You'll feel fear and disdain every time that you'll look at me. You'll be stuck in a loveless marriage with a man that you can't bare the idea of him touching your skin. Mark my words, Carolina, I'll hurt you again, if not physically it will be in the deepness of your soul." He replied with his sight lost in hers, jerky breaths raising his chest, before slowly detaching himself of Carolina's proximity. "I'll hate myself for eternity for what I've done to you, but at least knowing that you'll be away from me, will be a small consolation."_

"_You did not do anything more than what I did to myself." She replied. "I want to stay. I think we could reach a new agreement between us. I am not saying that I'll be able to have you touch me anytime soon. But, I could try." She mumbled, nervously, between her teeth._

"_Why would you put yourself willingly into this hell?" Klaus exclaimed, while grabbing his head with two hands, before turning his glance at her._

"_My sister… I think your brother is good for her." She replied._

"_But, I won't be good for you. You want to pay the price of this sacrifice for her?" Klaus sighed._

"_Wouldn't you want to sacrifice yourself for the happiness of your brother for once in your life?" Carolina asked, while taking him by surprise._

"_I've never thought of that." Klaus admitted, while shaking his head, before lowering his head, shamelessly._

"_Maybe it's time for you to start." She replied, before adding in a murmur. "Maybe it will be a way for you to show me that you are worth of my forgiveness."_

"_I won't make you happy." Klaus replied to her, while shaking his head._

"_But, my sister will be and that is enough for me." She answered him, while rubbing her hands nervously together. "We'll learn to be more honest to each other, with no more games from my part, and we'll learn slowly how to live together. With time, it will get easier."_

_Klaus nodded his head, while turning on himself to reach the entrance door of Carolina's suite._

"_Klaus?" Carolina called him, while walking on his heels._

"_Yes." He replied, before turning his head toward her standing position._

"_Thank you … For the ankle bracelet." She thanked him, while nodding her head._

_Klaus glanced at her surprisingly._

"_You found it?" He asked, dumbfounded._

"_Yes." She simply replied. "Is it true what you wrote, that … That you wouldn't' want to change who I am?" She asked._

"_Never…" He responded, honestly._

"_Then, it's a start." She replied, before seeing him turn the door handle. "Klaus?"_

_He turned his head once more._

"_Contrary to what you believe, and what I made you believe, it doesn't bother me to feel your hands on my skin." She confessed to him, before slowly closing the French doors of her bedroom._

_Klaus stood motionless and speechless for a few seconds, with his hands grabbing the door handle like his life depended on it. And, it is with a timid smile blessing the corners of his lips that he left Carolina's suite._

* * *

_**Thank you for reading,**_

_**Much love to all of you,**_

_**Lovely Vero**_

* * *

_**Answers to anonymous reviews**__**:**_

_**Guest: **__Thanks for appreciating this story, Sweetie. As for the updates, I'll write them as soon as I can, in the middle of my real life, so be patient. _

_**IloveTVD: **__Rebekah is snooping around … Because she is wondering if the women are worth both of his older brothers. I know that Elijah save my life in this chapter, he was the voice of reason that I wanted to say, without putting myself in the middle of it … lol… As for Klaroline, I hope that this chapter is giving you hope for a new beginning between the two?_

_**Guest2: **__Yes, I hear you … He should have been more sensitive with her, but I guess he thought she was playing with his emotions, like she did since the beginning. Thanks for the review, sweetie._

_**The Queen Justine: **__LOL … Quelle introduction que je te fais, je ne te dis pas! Contente que le dernier chapitre ne t'ait pas trop terrorisée. Je crois que tu y a vu des vérités, dont j'ai répondu dans ce présent chapitre. Cette une histoire d'émotions, de sentiments, de peurs, de craintes, d'amour … Je crois que c'est l'histoire la plus profonde que j'ai écrit jusqu'à maintenant, tu sais. Il me tarde d'avoir ta review sur ce dernier chapitre. Je t'embrasse et te remercie toujours aussi chaleureusement pour ta présence._

_**Terry: **__Please, Terry, DO NOT DIE, because the story is far from being over…LOL. Your review literally brought a smile on my face, thank you so much for appreciating the last chapter._

_**VD: **__Awww no, no, no, sweetie, this story is far from being finished, don't worry about it. And, I am sincerely touched that this story is one of your favorite, because of course it is always nice to know as an author, but more so, because I really put my 150% in this story, I really give all of myself in it. So to have this nice retribution and appreciation, it brings a smile to my face. Thanks a lot for your nice review._

_**Jessica: **__I think you are looking at this story with your TVD eyes? Do I make any sense? You can't forget that this story is an Alternate Story from an author, who at this present moment is not writing an episode of the serie, so you are, of course, going to relate the characters to the show to this story, but it needs to stop there, if you want to fully enjoy the ride of what authors will bring to you, with their imagination. Thanks for your input, sweetie, and your review._

_**Angel: **__Thanks for your review and input, sweetie. Yes, I feel that it was very interesting that not only she was a virgin, but the reason behind it. She kept herself to find the real love of her life, did she? That is what the story will tell us for sure._

_**Tammingoftheshre: **__My dear I could kiss you if you were standing in front of me, you know why? Because in your review you've said: I have faith in your author ability…THANK YOU! That is what the readers should always have until the last sentence of a story or book…Faith in the author. Afterward, they can't judge and don't like if they want to, but not before knowing what is in store for the characters in the story. And not only that, you understood the story, brilliantly. Thank you so much, for this review._


	11. Morning brunch

**SWEET KISSES FROM RUSSIA**

Fan Fiction – Alternate Universe

Caroline & Klaus

Elijah & Katherine

From:** Lovely Vero**

* * *

Chapter 10

"**Morning brunch"**

* * *

_Disclaimer__: This story is, and will always be, __**a fiction story**__, that is coming from the imagination of the author. It is not a bibliography of the author or any of the readers, neither a story that is exploring your own experience in life. It is not meant to be informative or to represent the perception or opinion of the author about the subject at hands in her own private life; it is not an encyclopedia, or a medical reference. It is only a fiction, the characters are fictional, and the story should be taken as such and not be mistaken with the private life of the readers or any of their personal experiences. Thank you._

_**Writer's note**__**: Due to the delicate subject, in some parts of this chapter that could seem abusive to some, please read with warning. Thank you.**_

* * *

_**Previously on Sweet Kisses from Russia**_

_Klaus nodded his head, while turning on himself to reach the entrance door of Carolina's suite._

"_Klaus?" Carolina called him, while walking on his heels._

"_Yes." He replied, before turning his head toward her standing position._

"_Thank you … For the ankle bracelet." She thanked him, while nodding her head._

_Klaus glanced at her surprisingly._

"_You found it?" He asked, dumbfounded._

"_Yes." She simply replied. "Is it true what you wrote, that … That you wouldn't' want to change who I am?" She asked._

"_Never…" He responded, honestly._

"_Then, it's a start." She replied, before seeing him turn the door handle. "Klaus?"_

_He turned his head once more._

"_Contrary to what you believe, and what I made you believe, it doesn't bother me to feel your hands on my skin." She confessed to him, before slowly closing the French doors of her bedroom._

_Klaus stood motionless and speechless, with his hands grabbing the door handle like his life depended on it. And, it is with a timid smile blessing the corners of his lips that he left Carolina's suite._

* * *

"_What time is it now?" Katerina asked Elijah, while nervously biting her nails, and pacing back and forth over the length of the carpet in his study room._

_Elijah raised an eyebrow, while sitting on the edge of his desktop, before raising the left sleeve of his man shirt over his expensive watch._

"_Thirty two seconds later since the last time you'd asked me." He replied to the brunette, while sighing._

"_I don't find this amusing, Elijah." She replied, while shaking her head and holding her pacing. She turned on herself to face the Original, before crossing her arms in front of her chest. Obviously, the young woman was in a serious and understandable confrontational mood and wouldn't relax before being able to get it out of her system._

"_I know, Katerina, believe me, I know." He responded, while stroking his eyelids. "I wouldn't try to diminish the seriousness of this situation, or neither one of our feelings about it; I'm just trying to ease the tension and to make you relax, if only for a short period of time." He informed her, with a timid smile. "I think it's the best way to act at the present moment." He nodded._

_She sighed loudly, before taking a sitting position on the desktop, by his side._

"_You always try your best to be right, aren't you?" She asked, while turning her sight in his dark eyes._

"_Well…" Elijah started, while drowning his sight into her blurry one. "I don't need to try hard, it's in my genes, I'm mostly, always right." He replied, while tilting his head._

"_Are you serious, or is it only to make me smile?" She asked, while frowning._

"_No, I'm serious.' He responded, without an ounce of mockery in the voice._

"_Oh my God… Elijah!" She exclaimed to herself, a mouth opened expression plastered on her face, before passing a hand through her tangled, long hair. "I've managed to marry a pretentious, pompous; I am always right, prehistoric man!" She added, while pulling on her hair with both hands._

"_I resent the pompous part!" Elijah replied, with a raised finger. "But it's pretty accurate for the rest." He confirmed to her, before lowering his head to hide his sudden amusement._

"_I'm not in the mood to laugh, Elijah, I'm sorry." She added, without even finding the strength to smile. "I just can't."_

"_Believe me, neither am I." He reassured her. "But I can't get over your four inches slippers and the pink, huge, pompom feathers on top that keep capturing all my attention, while calling my name: Elijah, Elijah… it's very disturbing actually, I am not into this fetish kind of stuff usually. And, I am wondering what is so fascinating to me, now, about these slippers?" He added, while crossing his arms over his chest, with his analytic sight fixated on her feet._

_The biggest smile suddenly appeared on Katerina's lips, while glancing at him._

"_You think it's sexy?" She asked, before raising her legs, while looking at the slippers. _

"_Well, I don't know, Katerina? It's probably sold in sexy lingerie boutiques, in the purpose of seducing a man, no?" He asked, while shrugging his shoulders and pointing his right hand at her feet. _

"_Is it seducing you, now?" She asked, while holding her breath, her eyes searching the answer in his intense and dark ones._

"_You're sitting on my desktop." Elijah responded, while swallowing a lump in his throat._

"_Oh?" She questioned, while blushing and moving her bottom nervously. "I wasn't aware that it was forbidden?"_

"_Forbidden? No … But, you're the first woman that I can tolerate her "touchy" presence on my desktop." He informed, while slowly bending his head near hers, before sliding a strand of her silky hair behind her left ear and slowly murmuring the words near Katerina's earlobe. "You're sitting on my desktop, and that for me is sexy." _

_Katerina closed her eyes, with the beats of her heart rising dangerously in her chest, and while feeling the pressure of Elijah's lips on hers, like the soft touch of a butterfly. But as soon as she felt the kiss, as soon it was cut to an end._

"_Mister Mikaelson?" They heard Maria calling._

_Elijah detached himself from his wife, before discreetly coughing and raising his head toward his governess. Katherina raised a hand over her mouth while keeping her sight down._

"_Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't aware that your wife was present in the study room. Mrs. Katherine." She greeted, while nodding her head in respect._

"_Maria." Katerina replied; while recognizing the subtly change of first name._

"_What is it, Maria?" Elijah asked her._

"_I wanted to keep you informed that Mrs. Caroline will be present in the dining room in about ten minutes." She gave the information, with a smile blessing his lips._

_Katerina jumped away from her sitting position on the desktop, before nervously rubbing her hands together._

"_Are you sure, Maria, are you absolutely sure that she'd said those words to you?" Katerina asked, frantically. "She will stay in this Manor and be present at the brunch?"_

"_Yes" Maria responded, dumbfounded. "I'm quite sure; she just informed me not even five minutes ago, is there a problem?" She enquired, while turning her sight from Katerina to Elijah. _

"_And her …" Katerina started, before closing her eyes and sighing loudly. "And my husband's brother?" She asked more, while closing her fists in anger._

"_Mister Klaus informed me that he would be present at his wife side." Maria replied, confused by the present exchange, but while starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together. _

"_Where is she now?" Katerina asked, with anticipation._

"_Her own suite I believe, Madam." Maria informed._

_Katerina stormed out of the office while slamming the door behind her._

"_I'm so sorry if I misbehave in any way that could create such distress, Mister Mikaelson." Maria offered her apologies._

"_None sense, you did not, Maria. It's just a difficult morning." Elijah replied, while stroking his eyelids once more, and raising on his legs._

"_I see." Maria replied, while lowering her head._

"_You do, aren't you?" Elijah sighed._

"_Well, it shouldn't be of my business, but … I believe that there is always the hope of seeing a glimpse of a rainbow after a storm of this amplitude?" She tried to comfort the oldest, a timid smile blessing her lips._

"_Perhaps you're right, Maria…" Elijah responded to her. "Perhaps…"_

* * *

_Katerina stormed inside Carolina's suite, while scattering the lounge area, before holding her pace in the middle of the room, frozen of all her mobility, as an empty shelve, with a hand raised over her chest, and her eyes drown in the ones of her younger sister._

_Carolina stepped outside of her bedroom, when she suddenly raised her eyes in her sister's, sad and painful reminder of last night events and how twisted and disappointing life could become in a snap of a finger, while dragging you into the mud several hours later._

"_Carolina, I'm so sorry …" Katerina whispered the words, tears rolling on her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, this shouldn't have happened." _

_The youngest Russian closed her eyes while feeling a veil of coldness wrapping her entire corporal form. It was more than obvious that she was now aware of her wedding night and seeing the sadness in her older sister eyes was more painful than enduring her own._

"_There's nothing for you to be sorry about, Katerina." She finally responded, while reopening her blurry eyes, before strengthening her back, with her hands crossed over her chest. _

_Katerina rushed by Carolina's side, before holding her sister in her arms._

"_I'm here, it's going to be ok, if you want to leave now, Elijah could prepare the plane tickets, and we could be in our way back to Moscow tomorrow." Katerina murmured to her, both hands placed at the base of Carolina's neck, while rocking her sister in her arms._

"_Why would I want to leave?" Carolina asked, while standing motionless in her sister's arms. "This manor is my home now."_

_Katerina suddenly detached herself from her sister, while drowning her sight in hers._

"_You want to stay? You want to stay married to a man who …" Katerina expressed, surprised, before being cut in her say._

"_Don't!" Carolina warned her sister, while raising a forbidden finger at her. "Don't put your nose where it doesn't belong, Katerina."_

"_I'm sorry?" Katerina exclaimed, dumbfounded by her sister present attitude._

"_Things happen; it is called real life, my sister." Carolina shrugged, while taking a few steps away from her sister. "I believe we have a brunch to go to?"_

"_You're in denial." Katerina murmured, before raising a hand over her mouth._

"_No, Katerina, I'm actually for the first time of my life standing with my eyes wide opened." Carolina replied._

"_It's my entire fault; I shouldn't have obliged you to enroll in this marital agency." She apologized, while shaking her head. "I thought it would give you a chance to start new and better in life, but, you are into no obligation after last night event, to stay here." _

"_I'd married a man for better or worse, Katerina. I've believe I've simply known the worst before a little bit of better, now I don't want to talk about it anymore, I would gladly appreciate if you could hold your peace about it yourself." _

_Katerina stood frozen and speechless in front of this blonde, young woman that she was not able to recognize as her own sister. _

"_Ok, I guess it will take you a couple of days to regain your normal way of thinking, I'll wait, and in the meantime I'll stay with you in your suit." She addressed this solution to Carolina._

"_No, Katerina, in the meantime you'll stay with _**your**_ husband, and I'll stay with _**mine**_." Carolina stood on her position._

"_It's a pay back, isn't it?" Katerina mumbled the words, with a teary voice._

"_No, oh God, no …" Caroline replied, while taking a few steps toward her older sister, before holding her face with two hands. "I love you sister, but I need to live my life now, how complicated it has suddenly become, as nothing to do with you." She tried to explain. "You did nothing wrong, but wanting the best for me. And I wish for the same for you." She added, before taking a big breath. "I made one single mistake, I was in the wrong of not telling you that I wasn't interested in marrying a man that I knew nothing about, and I was in the wrong of not telling the same man the same thing. But, now, I've accepted my faith."_

"_You did nothing wrong… Nothing…." Katerina cried out the words. "But, your husband … He hurt my little sister."_

"_He made a mistake, he's human." Caroline replied, while swallowing a lump in her throat, before lowering her hands. "I'm willing to give him a single chance to regain my trust." She added, while turning her back, before closing her eyes and sighing loudly. "Now can we stop talking about this, I believe, that both my husband and I, we are more than this single event that happened in our life?" She concluded, before walking toward the entrance of her suite. "I'll see you in the dining room, I am famished. I hope Maria made chocolate rolls?" _

_Katerina saw the door of the suite being closed on its panel, before slowly letting her body fall on the suite carpet, her head buried in her hands._

* * *

_Maria entered the dining room, while carrying two silver platters filled with croissants, scones and muffins, before placing the food on the beautiful white silk tablecloth. She suddenly startled at the view of Carolina who was sitting at the far end, alone, on one of the chairs._

"_Oh Miss Carolina, you've startled me, you're already here as I can see." Maria exclaimed, with a motherly smile plastered on her lips. _

"_You want me to help you?" Carolina asked, while rising on her feet._

"_What? No, none sense, I'm perfectly able to carry two plates, don't worry about me…Sit, sit, please." Maria asked her, with a hand gesture._

_Carolina took her sitting position back on her chair, with a timid smile blessing her lips._

"_Chocolate rolls, my child?" Maria asked, while blinking an eye at her, before handing the plate where a few of the said rolls were placed. "My lips are sealed; I won't tell that you took one before the others."_

_Carolina nodded her head, while raising the corners of her lips into a bigger smile._

"_Thank you." She replied, while grabbing one before taking a big bite into the fresh bread._

"_It's the favorite of your husband also." Maria added, while keeping the corners of her eyes on the young bride._

"_You don't say." Carolina replied, while lowering her food on the porcelain plate, before losing her smile and appetite._

"_The first days of a marriage are never as easy as it looks for a young bride, even more so when this is an arranged marriage." Maria said, while approaching the young woman, before sliding both of her hands on the frail shoulders of Carolina. "I don't remember much about my years as a young woman, but I do remember this, my mother used to say to me: Dear Lord, I pray for the wisdom to understand a man, I pray for the patience within myself to forgive him, and finally I pray for him to love me the way I will learn to love him."_

_Carolina closed her eyes, before feeling tears filling her eyelids._

"_I'm more than a governess with an apron at hands, if you want to talk; I'm here for you, my child." She added, before walking toward the entrance door of the majestic dining room. _

"_Maria?" She heard the voice calling._

"_Yes?" The governess replied, before turning her head toward Carolina._

"_Thank you." The young Russian murmured._

"_You're welcome." Maria replied, a smile blessing her lips._

* * *

_Klaus gulped the bottom of his glass of whisky, while trying to find the strength to pass through this unbearable brunch ahead of him, before suddenly hearing the shrill sound of high heels hitting the marble floor. He closed his eyes while being aware of the bad karma that would soon come like a boomerang at him. He lowered the glass on the console table, before turning on himself, while swallowing a nervous lump in his throat._

_Katerina reached his standing position in the parlor room, before slapping his face, twice, soon followed by a good punch of her closed right fist on his jaw and an additional one, near his right eye._

_Klaus lose his balance, before bumping on one of the armchairs._

"_Bastard…" Katerina yelled, before rubbing her swollen hand. "If you do this to my sister ever again, I swear I'll kill you myself!" _

_Klaus raised his sight in the one of the brunette, his right hand wiping the trickle of blood from his opened bottom lip._

_He nodded his head in approval to her, before strengthening his upper body._

"_You don't even have the decency to excuse your pathetic self of your despicable act?" Katerina lashed out._

"_The beast that I am doesn't deserve any empathy, why would I present them?" He responded, while reaching the bar, before pouring himself another glass._

"_You got that right, you don't deserve anything!" She yelled more, while pointing an accusatory finger at him. "And you are certainly not deserving of my sister as a wife."_

"_It's duly noted, Katerina." He replied to her, before gulping the amber liquid, lowering the glass on the bar, and turning himself to face his wife's sister. "You think I don't already know how much of a low life jerk I am? Believe me I've treated myself worse than you could ever try." _

"_I doubt that!" Katerina responded, while raising her chin._

_They stared at each other for a few minute of unbearable silence, their mutual chest rising under their jerky breaths._

"_If it would have been me, believe that I would have been able to handle the kind of pathetic man that you are. I've dealt with your kind all my life." Katerina added, before shaking her head. "But it is Carolina, she was innocent, pure, she had no idea what life could be made of. And innocently myself, I never thought that she would be put one day, in the middle of this kind of situation. And it's me who put her there. So, I am as much to blame as you are." _

"_I doubt that!" Klaus responded, while lowering his head. "Believe me, I've tried to repay my debt by offering a way out to her freedom, but she refused."_

"_Nothing that you will ever do, will repay it, nothing!" Katerina exclaimed, angrier than ever._

"_Then I'll find another way!" Klaus yelled himself. "And I won't rest until she'll be free of me." He added, while hitting his chest with his closed right fist._

"_Then I wish that God will help you, Klaus. Sooner you'll be out of her life, sooner she'll be able to regain her self-esteem." Katerina mumbled, angrily, between her teeth, before turning on her heels, and leaving the parlor room._

* * *

"_Well, everything certainly look delicious, Maria, my respect to the chef." Elijah thanked his governess, while placing a red napkin on his lap, while trying to ease the tensed atmosphere felt in the room. He rapidly glanced at both his brother's and wife's injuries, from the corners of his eyes. Obviously, the two of them had a confrontation earlier._

"_Thank you, Mister Mikaelson." Maria responded, while nodding her head with respect, before discreetly handing one pack of ice cubes to Katerina and one to Klaus, for both of their injuries. "Keep it on your hand for a good hour, Mrs. Katherine." She murmured near Katerina's right ear, to which the young Russian nodded, while blushing, and avoiding Elijah's glance._

"_What is this brunch about, Elijah?" Klaus growled, with annoyance. "Please, reassure me, because I already fear the worst with the extra plates placed on the table."_

"_Something that we can't avoid any longer, Niklaus, even if we wish to avoid it." Elijah replied, while rolling his eyes and sighing loudly._

_Maria directed her walk toward Carolina, while carrying a warm silver pot of coffee, before asking:_

"_Would you wish for coffee or tea, Madam?" _

"_Coffee will be fine, thank you Maria." She replied, keeping her sight on the table, while nervously rubbing her hands under the tablecloth. Klaus was sitting in a too close proximity of hers, so close that she couldn't even breathe at the moment. And the reason of her nervousness was that she couldn't figure out if this was because of her remaining fear, repulsion or other unanswered feelings within herself that she was not able or ready to admit yet?_

_Maria grabbed Carolina's porcelain cup before pouring the hot beverage, with this single sound to fill the awkward silence of the room. _

"_Oh! What a lovely ankle bracelet, Madam, with each letter of your name as charms." Maria exclaimed, while smiling and focusing her attention on the jewelry._

_Klaus startled at the governess say, with the utmost surprise, before lowering his sight on Carolina's ankle, his eyes meeting the one of his wife a second later._

_Carolina kept her sight locked with the blue one of her husband for a few seconds, feeling the heartbeats of her heart rising dangerously in her chest, before lowering her eyes on the table, and blushing._

"_It's a wedding gift." She managed to whisper, while suddenly raising her sight in front of her, before noticing her sister surprised expression._

"_Elijah? What is this gathering all about?" Klaus asked, once more, before crossing his arms in front of his chest._

_Elijah raised his shirt sleeve while glancing at his watch._

"_Five, four, three, two, one …." He counted, under the dumbfounded and speechless expression of both of the sisters and his brother._

"_My best greetings brothers and new stepsisters!" They all heard an enthusiastic male voice, before turning their sights toward a smiling young man that was standing over the threshold of the dining room, with an opened arms gesture directed at all of them. "Who will be the first to give me a kiss?"_

"_I never thought I would be happy to hear Kol's voice." Elijah murmured to himself, while stroking his eyelids, and shaking his head in disbelief._

"_You could have told me?" Klaus whispered, angrily, to his older brother, while bending his upper body over the table._

"_Believe me, Niklaus, if I had found the time in between the drama, I would have told you." Elijah replied, while mumbling the words between his teeth._

_Carolina turned her wondering sight toward her husband, with much interrogation left in her eyes._

"_He's my brother?" Klaus informed her, while understanding her silent question._

"_But, Elijah?" She replied, surprised, while pointing a finger toward the oldest._

"_This one is my other brother, the annoying youngest." Klaus explained, rapidly. _

"_Let me introduce myself, I'm Kol Mikaelson, a savior, a charmer, and most of all, a lover." Kol presented himself, while raising a hand of honor over his chest. _

"_Oh, God, help us all!" Elijah whispered._

"_And he is soon to be dead!" Klaus mumbled, angrily, between his teeth. _

"_And who are those lovely ladies?" Kol asked, smiling and happy like a chaffinch, while approaching the table, before sliding his jacket on the back of one of the remaining dinning chair. "So what do we have here, a blonde bombshell and a sexy brunette, cleaver you two!" He added, while pointing a finger at both of his older brothers. "Maria, as always such a pleasure to see such beauty in front of my sight, I'm waiting for my kiss?" He addressed himself to the governess while presenting his left cheek._

"_Mister Mikalson?" Maria begged her employer from the corners of her eyes to help her. "This is highly none appropriate?" _

"_Kol" Elijah warned, while drowning his narrowed sight in the one of the youngest._

"_Yes, I know, Elijah… I'm sorry, Maria." Kol apologize, while lowering his sight, before taking his sitting place at the table._

"_No harm done, Mister Kol, do you wish for coffee or tea?" Maria asked him, while blushing._

"_Coffee will be fine." He replied to the governess. "So, the brunette is Klaus's wife and the blonde is Elijah's?" He guessed, smirking. "That would explain Niklaus's black eye, and your injured hand, darling." He added, while winking at Katerina. "Such fire in the first days of your marital life together, I like it!" He commented, while rubbing his hands together._

"_Did you notice that I still have one uninjured hand that could serve me right?" Katerina responded to the young man, with a friendly warning._

"_Oh, she got spunks! I like you already!" Kol exclaimed, while hugging Katerina shoulders. "Good choice, Klaus!" He added, with a thumb up. _

"_Kol, Katerina is my wife, Carolina is Niklaus's." Elijah responded, from the tips of his lips. "For security purposes they have been both renamed Katherine and Caroline."_

"_Are you serious? This one is yours?" Kol laughed. "Well, she will certainly bring fire into your life and bed, grandpa!" He added, smirking at Elijah. "So the little blonde is with Klaus, then? She looks a bit stuck and pretentious, no?"_

"_Well I'm sure it's nothing that my knee could not change while soon come into contact with a certain part of your anatomy!" Carolina replied, slyly, with a faked smile. _

_Elijah spit his coffee on the table, coughing his way through Carolina answer, while Katerina lowered her head to hide her amusement in her own cup. That was the sister she could recognize and love. Klaus suddenly turned his head toward his wife to take a quick glance at her, with a gleam of proudness in his sight._

"_Ouch!" Kol replied. "Directly into my heart, Carolina, I'm deeply hurt now, but, I'm willing to give you another chance, dear stepsister." He added, smiling, while pointing a finger at her. "You see, I'm suddenly depressed. It feels like I'm the only man around this table that did not find his soul mate yet, which is really disturbing." He mocked, before grabbing a slice of fresh bread, and spreading a bit of jam on it._

"_Kol, there's still a couple of bars in the city that did not see your ass in their establishments, yet, if you are interested to find the love of your life of course?" Klaus snapped, sarcastically. "I'm sure that you could find suitable ladies there? Of course, you need to pay them enough money for them to endure your presence." _

"_Brother, are you trying to bond with me with sarcasm, just now?" Kol asked, while taking a big bite of his slice of bread. "Because, you see, it feels like a bounding moment between us, I just want to be reassured that it is?"_

"_My fist hitting your jaw could be considered as a bounding moment, are you interested?" Klaus replied, smirking._

"_Well, don't worry Kol, it couldn't be worst then both of our older brothers taking the service of a Russian marital agency to find two women to stand by their sides as wives could it?" They all heard a snappy, feminine voice exclaimed from the dining room entrance. "My deepest sympathies offered to both women, by the way."_

* * *

_An awkward silence filled the air of the main dinning room for a few remaining minutes, soon interrupted by the arrival of Stefan Salvatore, who stood immobile by the blonde woman side._

"_Why do I have the deep feeling that you've already opened your big mouth, Rebekah?" He murmured, near her right ear, while feeling the awkwardness of their present arrival._

"_I don't know what you're talking about?" Rebekah shrugged her shoulders, while entering the dining room._

"_Katerina, Carolina, let me present to you, our youngest sister, Rebekah." Elijah presented, while dropping his napkin on the table, before crossing his arms in front of his chest, and narrowing his sight on Rebekah. "Rebekah if you are here, at this brunch to disrespect my rules and the people present under my roof, you can take the door as of now." He warned her, before adding. "And by the way, who we have decided to marry is none of yours or Kol's business. Am I clear?"_

"_Don't be such a fuss, Elijah." Rebekah exclaimed, before taking her sitting position at the table, with Kol placed at her left. "After all, we should feel deeply hurt to not have been invited at both of your weddings, when was that exactly?" She asked, perniciously._

"_I don't recall." Elijah replied, tit for tat, before seeing his childish sister pull her tongue at him._

"_How many of them are there still?" Katerina asked Elijah, while bending her upper body near him._

_Elijah smirked at his wife, before caressing her left cheek with the back of his right hand._

"_It's the last of the remaining living ones, I swear to you." Elijah confirmed to her._

"_There is a God!" Katerina whispered more, while rolling her eyes._

_Stefan finally stepped into the dining room, before greeting the brides with bouquets of fresh flowers. _

"_These are for you, beautiful. Congratulations on your wedding day." He presented a bouquet of white roses to Carolina, under the sound of grunts of his friend Klaus, whose thermometer of jealousy was reaching its highest point._

"_You're licking ass now, Salvatore?" Kol exclaimed, while pointing a hand at Stefan._

"_Kol, watch your tongue!" Elijah warned._

"_But Elijah, I swear he's going to make me puke my breakfast on the table."_

"_Not my fault, if you have no manners, Mikaelson!" Stefan replied to the youngest Mikaelson brother._

"_Thank you, Stefan." Carolina replied, while holding her laughter, before taking the bouquet in her hands._

"_I did not bring any for you, Klaus, you forgive me don't you?" Stefan mocked his friend, while smirking at him, and grabbing his shoulders in a friendly hug. _

"_I would have made you swallow them, Salvatore!" Klaus replied, gruffly. "And not the way you think."_

"_Klaus, watch your tongue!" Elijah repeated._

"_Is he always this unhappy and grumpy in the morning?" Stefan asked, while winking at Carolina, before walking toward the other side of the table. "And these are for you gorgeous." He offered the second bouquet of red roses to Katerina, while handing his hand to her. "I believe I did not have the pleasure, Stefan Salvatore, I'm one of … No, actually, let me rephrase, I'm the only friend of Klaus."_

"_My sympathies offered to you, then." Katerina replied, slyly, to him._

"_I like your sister already, Carolina." Stefan replied, smiling, before taking his sitting position, at the right of Rebekah's. "Elijah, you got yourself a fearless wife, I approve."_

"_Thank you, Stefan." Elijah replied, while rolling his eyes._

"_So, how much do they pay you to marry them?" Rebekah asked, as burned doublet. _

"_Rebekah!" Elijah warned her, while pronouncing her name._

"_What? It's a legitimate question, Elijah?" His sister responded, while shrugging her shoulders._

"_I prefer you to her, now." Carolina suddenly murmured to Kol, while narrowing her sight at Rebekah._

"_See!" Kol replied, while pointing a finger at Carolina. "I knew you would eventually come to your senses. I'm so loveable." He added, while winking at her._

"_I still don't!" Katerina said, mockingly, while shaking her head._

"_It's because of your kick boxing session with Klaus, this morning. You're still under the rage effect." Kol added, while serving himself a plate of scrambled eggs. _

"_You did that?" Rebekha asked Katerina, while pointing with her knife, the black eye and injured jaw of Klaus. "What did my brother do this time to deserve this, not that I am complaining?"_

_Katerina raised her sight in the one of her sister, who discreetly shook her head, while begging her with a worrying look to keep this private event under silence. Then, she turned her glance into the one of Klaus, who kept impassive, he would obviously take any faith thrown at him for his wrongs, you needed to give this single quality to the guy. _

"_Yes, I did that." She finally responded, without giving any further explanation to Klaus's sister._

"_I'm impressed. If you keep this up…" Rebekah informed the oldest sister, while pointing a finger at her. "There's maybe a chance that we could become friend in the future?" _

"_I doubt that." Both Katerina and Carolina exclaimed at the same time, before having the all table burst into laughter at their mutual, synchronized say._

"_It's not funny!" Rebekah exclaimed, infuriated. "I'm so beautiful and perfect that it's barely impossible for me to have any female friends." She whined, while pouting._

"_You know why, sister dearest?" Klaus responded. "It's because there is no mute option that comes with your beautiful package." He added, while trickling another round of laughter._

"_It's still not funny!" Rebekah mumbled angrily between her teeth, getting cut in the moment, while throwing a bread bun at Klaus's head, before busting into laughter herself._

_Maria took the bouquets of flowers from Carolina's and Katerina's hands, before reaching Elijah sitting position at the far end of the table, sliding a friendly hand on his right should, before lowering her head near him._

"_Considering, Mister Mikaelson, this brunch went better than expected." She addressed him a smile, while murmuring the words._

"_Bless your soul and mine, Maria, for this unexpected gift of life." He responded, while winking at her._

* * *

_Carolina faced the fireplace, while sitting in the leather sofa, her feet comfortably tuck under her thighs, with her sight lost in the flames of the opened fire. Her mind and thoughts closed to the exterior world, when she suddenly heard a discreet cough._

_She turned her head, while seeing Elijah standing under the arch door, with his hands buried in his pants pockets, a timid smile blessing his lips._

"_Good evening, Carolina." He greeted her._

"_Good evening, I'm sorry, if you want me to leave, and be left alone in this room, just ask?" She inquired, while blushing and suddenly strengthening her upper body._

"_Of course not, Carolina, don't you move a muscle and please stay, would you?" Elijah replied, before closing the door of the parlor room behind him, and walking toward her. "This Manor is to be considered your home now; therefore, you can be in any room that pleases you."_

"_Thank you." She replied, politely._

"_I was thinking of pouring myself a night cap, would you care to join me for one, perhaps?" He politely asked, while raising the sleeves of his man shirt on his forearms, and directing his walk toward the bar._

"_Eh… Sure, what do you suggest?" She asked, with a timid smile._

"_It's a secret bottle, don't you dare telling anyone of its emplacement. Your taste buds won't ever touch this marvel ever again…Well, not after tonight that is." He informed the young woman, sarcastically, before putting a finger on his lips, as a silence gesture. _

_He grabbed a key, before pushing a painting on the wall, and opening a secret panel, from where he pulled a bottle, before pouring two glasses from it._

"_1922, it cost me a fortune!" He smiled, while approaching Carolina and handing a glass to her, before taking his sitting position on a leather armchair, near the sofa._

"_Mm…." She tasted, surprised by the richness of the alcohol. "It's very good."_

"_I've told you." He replied, smiling. "I have certain knowledge in old and reckless." He mocked, while winking an eye at her._

"_My lips are sealed." She nodded, smiling._

"_I appreciate the gesture." He nodded himself, while drowning his sight in the fireplace. "You mind if I smoke?"_

"_Not at all…" She replied to him, while sipping the delicious alcohol._

_Elijah lighted up a cigar, before taking his first puff, and lowering his back on the arm chair, his sight lost in the flames of the fire._

_They sat silently, lost in their own thoughts for a few minutes, before Elijah finally broke the comforting silence between them._

"_My biggest apologies for my siblings' impertinence, I've tried to muzzle them a long time ago, but they refused categorically to wear the harness." He informed Carolina, sarcastically._

"_You're speaking of which one of your siblings, Kol, Rebekah, or … Klaus?" She replied, tit for tat._

"_And you threw an arrow directly into the heart … That is "Touché", my dear." He replied, smirking. _

_Another silence filled the parlor room, only disturbed by crackle of lobs._

"_He's not necessarily as vain, arrogant and heartless as he seems to be, you know?" Elijah said, with a more serious tone of voice, while sipping his glass and keeping his sight in the fire. _

"_You're his brother; I'm not expecting you to not love Klaus or to stop defending him." Carolina replied, while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat. _

"_That is where you're wrong; I oftentimes was completely against him and his own way of dealing with life." Elijah replied. "I'm a man of honor and integrity, two qualities that Klaus seems to have forgotten in his life."_

_Carolina turned her head to glance at Elijah, before biting her bottom lip, while trying her hardest to forbid herself to ask the question, but without being able to resist._

"_Why has he become what he is now?" She whispered the words._

_Elijah sighed, before turning his sight in the one of his stepsister._

"_Main reason was that he always thought that he was an unwanted child." Elijah responded, while bending his head. _

"_I don't understand? The normal siblings bickering that I've witnessed aside, you seem to love him, Elijah?" Carolina asked, questioning the issue in her head._

"_There actually no doubt about it, my dear, I do love him, and oftentimes against my good judgement." He replied, before adding. "Klaus was conceived outside the wedlock." Elijah informed her. "But, please don't take this information against him, though it would probably be the rightful lethal harm to use if you wanted to hurt him one day."_

"_I wouldn't do that." Carolina shook her head. "Was it your mother or your father?" _

"_My mother actually, she had an affair and Klaus became the illegitimate child. My biological father accepted my mother indiscretion under false pretention and by ricochet Klaus always felt rejected all his life." Elijah informed her. "Oftentimes, it doesn't excuse his behavior in any way, Carolina, but it explains the man he has become." _

"_He thinks he's been rejected all his life." She mumbled the words, between her teeth. "Therefore, he takes what he wants with the assurance to not be rejected first hands ever again."_

"_You could say something in those kind words." Elijah replied, agreeing, while nodding his head._

"_You'll be good for my sister, Elijah, I'm happy about that." Carolina said, openly and unexpectedly, while smiling and surprising him by her admission. "Why do you think it works so well between the two of you?"_

_Elijah turned his sight in the one of Carolina in surprise, before shaking his head._

"_Well…I don't know, we seem to understand each other from the start, I suppose. We established our boundaries, and we know that our past has nothing to do with the present situation of our marriage, and we are leading ourselves into the future with wide, opened eyes." He replied, honestly, while shrugging his shoulders._

"_You're old also, it must help." Carolina added, while shrugging her shoulders, before suddenly blushing while realizing her say. "Oh no, no… I didn't mean any disrespect, I meant…You're both older, and …" She tried to swim against current because of her wrong say, while blushing intensively._

_Elijah smirked, amused, before rising on his legs and taking from her hands the empty glass she was holding. _

"_Next time, Carolina, be assured that I won't offer you a drink from my special bottle." He warned her, unserious, while smirking and pointing a forbidden finger at her. _

"_But I know where your special bottle is now, Elijah." Carolina replied, smiling._

"_That my dear…" He started, while putting the bottle back in its hiding place. "It's because I wanted you to know. I'll leave you to your evening." He added, before directing his walk toward the door. "It was nice talking to you."_

"_Elijah?" Carolina called._

"_Yes, Carolina?" He replied, before turning his glance toward her._

"_Thank you." She nodded. "I mean for the talk and the "special" drink."_

"_You're welcome." He answered her, before adding. "You're a strong woman, Carolina… Just know that underneath my brother rough exterior and incessant wrongs, he is not as bad as he wants you to think." He concluded, before leaving the room._

* * *

_Carolina paced back and forth in Klaus's bedroom suite, while nervously rubbing her hands together. The night had finally lowered his dark curtains over the city, and it's with nervous anticipation that she was waiting for her husband arrival. _

_She heard the suite entrance door being opened and closed on its arch, before hearing the synchronized sounds of his walking steps hitting the marble floor and finally reaching the bedroom. He stood motionless over the threshold, while startling at her view._

"_I couldn't tell … I mean…" She started, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I wasn't sure of what you expected of me." She mumbled, nervously. "Do you want me to sleep in my suite, or for me to sleep by your side in yours?"_

_Klaus lowered his head away from his wife sight, while closing his eyes, and sighing loudly, before suddenly directing his walk toward the opened walk-in._

"_It makes no difference to me, do as you wish, Carolina." He replied, in front of her speechless expression, while feeling her presence behind his back. "The two suites are available to you now, they are yours."_

"_What do you mean they are mine?" Carolina asked him, nervously, while seeing him pulled a backpack from one of the walk-in closet shelves. _

"_It's exactly what it means; I won't be present in either one of them, therefore both suites are yours." He responded, while dropping several pieces of clothes in the backpack._

"_You're leaving … You're leaving me?" She mumbled the words, in shock._

"_Yes" He responded to her. "It will give you the time to ponder your life, and start new when you will be ready, without having to endure me by your side." He added, while closing the backpack. _

"_You're a coward!" She lashed out at him, while closing her fists in anger._

"_I've been called worst the last twenty-four hours and rightly so." He replied to her, while putting the backpack on his right shoulder, before grabbing his leather jacket on a near hook, and stepping away from her._

"_Don't turn your back on me!" She yelled more, while pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Not, when I am the only one willing to give you a chance."_

_Klaus hold his pace, while frowning and closing his fists in anger, anger directed entirely toward himself._

"_Don't waste your time on me, Carolina, I'm not deserving of that chance." He responded to her._

"_Why?" She asked, under her jerky breaths._

_He turned on himself, abruptly dropping his backpack and leather jacket on the wooden floor, before rushing by her side, his upper body bending on hers, his upper arms placed on each side of her head on the wall. _

_Carolina startled with fear, while gluing her body on the wall placed behind her back, her chest rising rapidly under her rapid breathing. _

"_This is why." He whispered to her, his sight lost in Carolina's. "I'm not even touching you right now that you are already shivering with fears and disdain." He explained. "You're disgusted by my sight and it shows." _

"_Don't put words into my mouth." She murmured to him, while raising her chin before lowering her sight on his mouth._

"_Kiss me then?" He asked her, unexpectedly. "Prove it to me."_

"_What?" She mumbled the word._

"_It shouldn't be too difficult?" He added, his heavy breaths caressing her lips._

"_I…" She tried to explain, while losing all coherent thoughts in her mind._

"_Yes, that is what I thought…" Klaus replied, before detaching himself from Carolina._

_She retained him by grabbing his right forearm, before rising on her tip toes, her arms suddenly wrapped around his neck, her hands grabbing the hair on the base of his neck, helping her to keep her balance, before sliding her trembling lips on his. _

_Klaus kept his eyes opened, his lips kept closed, motionless, emotionless, and hard as rock, before feeling her tears rolling on her cheeks, under the effort given to act against her will._

"_I can't…" She apologized, under her intense sobbing._

_He detached her hands from his neck, before gently pushing her away from him._

"_I know…" He replied, before bending his body to grab his bag and leather jacket. "That is why I'm leaving, Carolina." He added, before storming out of his own suite._

* * *

"_Niklaus… NIKLAUS!" Elijah yelled repeatedly, before raising his voice to retain his brother, while walking on Klaus's heels in the corridor leading into the Manor's garage. "When I am calling your name, at least have the decency to respond to me!"_

"_What now, Elijah?" Klaus asked, leading his way to the garage, while walking toward his Harley motorcycle. He pushed the remote control to open the door to the outside world of the England winter, before opening the backseat luggage compartment to drop his backpack in it._

"_Your wife Carolina, you do remember her, do you?" Elijah mumbled, angrily, between his teeth, while pacing back and forth on the cement floor. "Haven't you done enough damage, already?"_

"_Yes, I actually do remember her, brother." Klaus responded, while grabbing his helmet before placing it on his head. "It's because I remember her that I'll give her the necessary space to finally help her make the right decision to leave me." _

"_It is winter out there; you're going to ride your Harley in the winter time?" Elijah asked, while angrily gesturing with his arms. _

"_I need the fresh air." Klaus responded. _

"_Fuck!" Elijah mumbled, while passing a hand through his hair, angrier than ever._

"_Don't worry I won't die if I catch a cold, immortal and all." Klaus added, slyly. "And that is a very bad word, you've just said; I'm starting to rub off on you." _

"_You won't even fight for her. And, you won't even fight to regain your dignity." Elijah yelled. "What kind of a man are you, Niklaus?"_

_Klaus got on his bike, while revving the engine._

"_The worst you could find, Elijah." He responded, while lowering the visor on his sight. "I thought you knew that already?"_

"_You'll run away selfishly while leaving behind you, probably the only woman able to accept your wrongs and to grant you a second chance?" Elijah sighed, with discouragement._

"_Actually, Elijah, this … Right here, right now … It's the least selfish I've ever been in all my life, and it's all for her." Klaus responded, before leaving the garage on grinding wheel sound._

"_Damn you Niklaus!" Elijah mumbled, between his teeth, before closing his eyes and sighing loudly, while being left alone with his angry thoughts in mind._

* * *

_A few light flakes started their descent from the night sky, while covering the streets of London of a thin white coat of snow. Carolina was standing in front of Klaus's bedroom window, while lowering her sight on the front gate of the Manor._

_The motorcycle suddenly stopped in front of the gate; with the noise of the engine suddenly dying and leaving the silence only to fill the obscurity of the night. Klaus turned his sight toward the Manor, before raising a rapid glance toward his bedroom. "She" was standing in front of the window, with her sight fixated on him. He swallowed a nervous lump in his throat, before restarting the engine of the motorcycle, opening the brass doors of the gate, and finally leaving the premises._

_Carolina let one single tear running down her left cheek, before closing her eyes, and raising her shaking right hand to wipe it away._

_Klaus Mikaelson, her husband, had left her … And probably for good …_

* * *

_Elijah entered his suite, while sighing loudly and closing his eyes under an intense tiredness, before pushing the door on its arch. There was no need to inform Katerina as of tonight, of Klaus's sudden departure. _

_He directed his walking steps toward the bedroom, before noticing Katerina silhouette in front of the window. She was standing in the dark, with the rays of the moon illuminating the curves of her body through the transparent white fabric of her nightgown. He swallowed a nervous lump in his throat at her magnificent view._

_She finally turned on herself, while facing him, her sight lost in her husband's, before sensually pushing the straps of her nightgown on her upper arms, the sumptuous fabric sliding on her naked body, before landing on her feet, a second later._

_Elijah took a deep breath, while approaching his wife standing position, his stare kept in hers, before slowly raising the back of his hands on the length of her arms. She closed her eyes under the intense range of shivers and pleasure hitting her spine, all at once, with her heartbeats increasing dangerously in her chest, under a rising rage or breaths. _

_Elijah closed his eyes, before bending his head near hers to softly kiss her forehead._

"_You're so beautiful." He murmured, under the same intense emotions, while caressing the crucible of her shoulders. "And you are standing in front of me barefoot?" He mocked, gently._

"_You're only noticing my feet?" She murmured, out of breath._

"_Believe me, Katerina, I've noticed all that you have offered to my sight." He replied, softly, while kneeling at her feet, before slowly raising the fabric of the nightgown back on her shivering and naked body, the straps being replaced on her shoulders. "Thank you. But tonight …" He added, while cupping her delicate face in his hands, his eyes drown into hers. "You need to cry on my shoulders."_

_Katerina startled at Elijah's words, before suddenly giving herself, the right, to feel her pain. The tears ran down on her cheeks, with loud sobbing sounds finally coming out or her mouth. He slowly brought her into an embrace, before tenderly rocking her in his arms, her head placed on his right shoulder, with his left hand rubbing her lower back and his right hand caressing softly her hair._

* * *

_**Russia - City of Moscow - Abandoned factory.**_

_The sound of shoes hitting the concrete pavement filled the emptiness and quietness of the abandoned factory. Mikael Mikaelson wrapped himself in his winter coat, while raising his scarf over his neck. Even as an Original vampire, he was still able to feel the crisp, icy, cold weather of Russia._

_He finally stopped in front of two hybrids guards, placed in their human forms in front of a steel door, with weapons in hands. They nodded their heads to him, while keeping their murderous sights fixated on the vampire._

"_Я здесь, чтобы увидеть Petrov. Он ждет меня." __**I'm here to see Petrov. He is waiting for me.**__ He informed the guards in Russian, while nodding his head in respect to them._

_The two guards remained silent, but one of them opened the steel door placed behind their backs, while leading their walking steps inside._

_The Original passed the threshold, before following the tall man into numerous corridors, while being brought in front of an additional steel door a few minutes later._

"_**Petrov **__is waiting for you inside." The Russian guard informed the vampire in perfect English._

_Mikael Mikaelson pushed the door before entering a dark room where a single light illuminated its darkness, with a lamp placed on a folding table._

"_Mikael" He heard the greeting of a hoarse male voice, with a tick Russian accent._

"_Ludvig" Mikael replied, while slowly getting rid of his leather gloves, before reaching the man position. _

"_It's been a long time, my friend." The said Ludvig replied._

"_It has." Mikael confirmed, while smiling deviously._

"_Yes, a thousand of years, I believe the last time we'd met, it was when the blade of my sword met yours." Ludvig added, sarcastically. "These are vivid memories."_

"_Mm… Indeed." Mikael replied to him, smirking, before holding his walking pace in front of the table, both hands crossed over his chest. _

_Ludvig Petrov was sitting on a chair, in front of Mikael's sight, with two gorilla men by his sides. _

"_But not as intense as the memory of you and my wife becoming lovers, with your bastard son, Klaus, left in her womb." Mikael added, slyly_

_**ooOoo**_

_**End of chapter – This story goes now on a period of hiatus, and will be back in August with a new chapter named: "The Return".**_

_**(*) Just for you information, "Petrov" and "Petrova" are two (2) different family names in this present fiction (you'll understand more in the following chapter to come).**_

* * *

**_Responses to anonymous reviews_**

* * *

_**Guest1:**__ Yes, you are right, the sisters have a good bounding, even if they are very different, and this connection will deepen with time._

_**Guest2:**__ I appreciate that you need more, and I hope this chapter will make you happy for the time being, until the story will return._

_**Sony:**__ Happy you have found a best line in chapter 9 (smiling myself)._

_**Ines:**__ I think by this chapter I've answered to your question about Kol & Rebekah (winking). As for more conflict, yes, but together this time, and not divided._

_**VD:**__ You've noticed all the actions of each character as the way to try to become a better version of their own self, and I've enjoyed so much reading your own analyze of the past chapter._

_**Justine:**__ Je sais que je ne peux pas te forcer à ouvrir un compte pour un échange plus personnel, mais sache que tu es l'une qui sèche toujours mes pleurs, ma chérie, car tu as un cœur en or pour m'écrire de si longue pensées sur mes chapitres. Je t'embrasse très fort!_

_**Terry:**__ I'll try to keep it up when I'll reprise/continue this story._

_**IloveTVD:**__ I gave all of myself in that chapter; you've noticed it by the exchange and exact words that I've tried to include in their conversations. To this point, my French background is starting to not even be a big issue; it's called learning and growing into a second language. Instigator is an English word: someone who deliberately foments trouble._

_**Tammingofthesgre: **__ Please, give time to the author; we can only go one chapter at a time. In the last chapter it was mentioned that a family brunch was set the same morning, maybe you did not retain this information in your memory or focus on that part? So, this chapter was the multi-interactions chapter, highly anticipated by me._


	12. The return

**SWEET KISSES FROM RUSSIA**

Fan Fiction – Alternate Universe

Caroline & Klaus

Elijah & Katherine

From:** Lovely Vero**

* * *

_Disclaimer__: This story is, and will always be, __**a fiction story**__, that is coming from the imagination of the author. It is not a bibliography of the author or any of the readers, neither a story that is exploring your own experience in life. It is not meant to be informative or to represent the perception or opinion of the author about the subject at hands in her own private life; it is not an encyclopedia, or a medical reference. It is only a fiction, the characters are fictional, and the story should be taken as such and not be mistaken with the private life of the readers or any of their personal experiences. Thank you._

_**Writer's note**__**: Due to the delicate subject, in some parts of this chapter that could seem abusive to some, please read with warning. Thank you.**_

* * *

_**Previously on Sweet Kisses from Russia…**_

_A few light flakes started their descent from the night sky, while covering the streets of London of a thin white coat of snow. Carolina was standing in front of Klaus's bedroom window, while lowering her sight on the front gate of the Manor._

_The motorcycle suddenly stopped in front of the gate; with the noise of the engine suddenly dying and leaving the silence only to fill the obscurity of the night. Klaus turned his sight toward the Manor, before raising a rapid glance toward his bedroom. "She" was standing in front of the window, with her sight fixated on him. He swallowed a nervous lump in his throat, before restarting the engine of the motorcycle, opening the brass doors of the gate, and finally leaving the premises._

_Carolina let one single tear running down her left cheek, before closing her eyes, and raising her shaking right hand to wipe it away._

_Klaus Mikaelson, her husband, had left her … And probably for good …_

_**ooOoo**_

_**Russia - City of Moscow - Abandoned factory.**_

_The sound of shoes hitting the concrete pavement filled the emptiness and quietness of the abandoned factory. Mikael Mikaelson wrapped himself in his winter coat, while raising his scarf over his neck. Even as an Original vampire, he was still able to feel the crisp, icy, cold weather of Russia._

_He finally stopped in front of two hybrids guards, placed in their human forms in front of a steel door, with weapons in hands. They nodded their heads to him, while keeping their murderous sights fixated on the vampire._

"_Я здесь, чтобы увидеть Petrov. Он ждет меня." I'm here to see Petrov. He is waiting for me. He informed the guards in Russian, while nodding his head in respect to them._

_The two guards remained silent, but one of them opened the steel door placed behind their backs, while leading their walking steps inside._

_The Original passed the threshold, before following the tall man into numerous corridors, while being brought in front of an additional steel door a few minutes later._

"_Petrov is waiting for you inside." The Russian guard informed the vampire in perfect English._

_Mikael Mikaelson pushed the door before entering a dark room where a single light illuminated its darkness, with a lamp placed on a folding table._

"_Mikael" He heard the greeting of a hoarse male voice, with a tick Russian accent._

"_Ludvig" Mikael replied, while slowly getting rid of his leather gloves, before reaching the man position. _

"_It's been a long time, my friend." The said Ludvig replied._

"_It has." Mikael confirmed, while smiling deviously._

"_Yes, a thousand of years, I believe the last time we'd met, it was when the blade of my sword met yours." Ludvig added, sarcastically. "These are vivid memories."_

"_Mm… Indeed." Mikael replied to him, smirking, before holding his walking pace in front of the table, both hands crossed over his chest. _

_Ludvig Petrov was sitting on a chair, in front of Mikael's sight, with two gorilla men by his sides. _

"_But not as intense as the memory of you and my wife becoming lovers, with your bastard son, Klaus, left in her womb." Mikael added, slyly._

* * *

_**Chapter 11**_

"The return"

* * *

_**Russia - City of Moscow - Abandoned factory.**_

_One of the guards stepped forward threatening Mikael, soon restrain in his walking motion by Ludvig's hand placed on the man left forearm._

"_Stop… There's no need for such uncivil behaviors, this gentleman is one of my oldest friend, aren't you Mikael?" Ludvig reassured his guard, with a discreet nod._

"_You have an unorthodox definition of "friendship" Ludvig?" Mikael smirked. "I'm probably one of your oldest and eldest enemies."_

"_I'm an unorthodox man, Mikael; most of my friends are enemies, most of my enemies are my friends." Ludvig replied, while shrugging his shoulders and straightening his left arm to grab a bottle of Vodka left on the table. "Can I offer you a glass of our best Russian vodka?"_

"_Are you offering me one of your special "vervain" concoctions, perhaps, Ludvig?" Mikael raised an eyebrow. "You should know better, I'm immune to it since a few centuries now."_

"_I know better, my "friend", that is why it's only "vodka"." Ludvig replied, smiling, before pushing the filled class toward Mikael's sitting position, near the table._

"_So, the one and only __**Valdemar**__, now called "Ludvig Petrov", it took me quite a long time to find you under this new attributed name." Mikael titled his head, before raising his glass to his lips._

"_Please, my friend, can't it be worse than "Mikaelson"?" Ludvig laughed, while crossing his hands over his chest._

"_Touche!" Mikael replied, smirking. "I guess our previous Vikings' names wouldn't fit well this modern civilisation." _

"_It's this modern society that is not fitting "our grace", Mikael, not the other way around." Ludvig nodded. "Let just say that I came into contact one day with a beautiful woman named __**Petrova**__, and from there I attributed to myself a slightly similar one. It was almost a love at first sight, as family name goes, of course." _

_Mikael raised his narrowed sight on his enemy._

"_Very peculiar, I came across the same family name recently." Mikael admitted, while lowering his empty glass on the table._

"_Maybe we met the same woman?" Ludvig twisted his lips into a rictus, while shrugging. "The world is such a small place, Mikael."_

"_Cut to the chase, Ludvig." Mikael advised in a colder tone of voice. 'What are your game, what do you want?"_

"_I want my legitimate son to know me, and now that I've located him, it's only a matter of "time" before we'll finally come face to face." Ludvig informed. "You won't keep him away from me much longer, Mikael."_

"_You were obviously not looking very hard the last centuries; it was actually pretty easy to find him." Mikael replied, while crossing his arms in front of his chest._

"_I've been busy, my friend … Busy at building a new army." Ludvig informed, grinning._

"_So, you were the investigator of this marital setup which included Katerina and Carolina Petrova?" Mikael demanded._

"_Investigator, no, it simply came into my knowledge by my sources. They informed me of the upcoming weddings of our sons." Ludvig confirmed. "Quite a pair of beauties they have on their hands, would you say?"_

"_Debatable … I have a higher standard in mind as for my daughter-in-law." Mikael responded._

"_You never had good taste in women to begin with, except for one. Where's __**Ingrid**__?" Ludvig frowned, while losing his smile and closing his fists in anger._

"_You mean the "whore" who gave you this bastard son named Niklaus?" Mikael smirked, pleasurably. "The woman known as "__**Ingrid**__" is dead."_

"_Watch you dirty mouth __**Yngve**__!" Ludvig yelled, while rising on his legs, before violently hitting his closed fists on the table. "And you're lying!" _

"_Actually… I'm not lying." Mikael replied. "Niklaus's mother is none existent. I guess a family reunion is out of the question now?"_

"_You're enjoying this, aren't you? But, you'll give me respect under my roof and while you're standing on my land!" Ludvig busted at the patriarch of the Originals._

"_I'll do better than that, __**Valdemar, **__I'll leave." Mikael replied, while slowly sliding his hands in his leather gloves, before standing up. "I had obtained the information for what I came for after all." He smirked, before pushing the chair and taking a few walking steps to reach the exit door._

"_Mikael!" Ludvig called him, urgently._

_Mikael Mikaelson held his pace, but without facing his enemy._

"_The time has come. The war is nearer than you think, between our two species." Ludvig warned him. "Believe me when I say that I'll find a way to take my revenge on you and your family on day, sooner than later, __**Yngve**__!"_

_Mikael stood immobile for a few seconds, before grabbing the door handle and leaving the premises of this old factory._

* * *

_**London, two months later of Klaus's departure…**_

_Elijah felt a presence watching over him in his study room. He raised his head and sight before catching a glimpse of his wife who stood on the threshold of the opened door._

_He grabbed his leather briefcase on the floor before raising it on his desktop to fill its inside of a few files. He wondered within himself, how Katerina could be so beautiful in the early hours of the morning. She was standing under the arch door, her curly hair falling freely on her back, her long legs dressed of designer jeans, with a large white sweater denuding her bare shoulders, a pair of high heels red pumps were completing the perfect assemble._

_The attraction and sexual desire for his wife had reached their higher peak, to the point of forbidding himself, the past few months, to even be present in the same room than her. Otherwise, he could probably throw his wife on his desktop before making passionate love to her, but, he was standing firm in his revised decision to keep his distance from the time being, or at least until his brother return_

"_I'm here only for a short moment to take a few files with me, before heading toward my office." He informed her, while closing his briefcase. "I'll be back late tonight."_

"_Of course you will. The exact repetitive words of what you have said to me yesterday, and probably what you will say to me, tomorrow." Katerina responded, while crossing her arms in front of her chest as a protective mechanism. "And I'll smile and wish you a good day, because that is what I've been asked to do, paid to do, isn't it the truth, Elijah?"_

_Elijah kept his sight in the one of his wife for a few minutes. They stared at each other in an awkward and uncomfortable silence, but it's him who finally lowered his head away from her insistent gaze while sighing loudly._

"_I'm sure you'll find something to occupy yourself in the meantime, Katerina." He replied, while grabbing his briefcase with his right hand. "Maybe you could do a bit of shopping to fill your free time?" He suggested. _

"_Please have the decency to not lower me at the poor level of the stupid woman that you have bought for yourself, who can't do anything else but smile, say yes to every of your demands or go shopping to pass the time!" She lashed out at him._

"_And yet, you were certainly happy to use my credit card the past few months." Elijah replied, tit for tat, while feeling a range of remorse hitting him like a ton of bricks, after his say to her._

_Katerina lost all her colors, while displaying to her husband sight the whitest complexion and tearful eyes._

'_Why did you marry me, Elijah?" She mumbled, angrily, between her teeth, while shaking her head. "You could easily have any woman agreeing to be married to you, without this marriage contract?"_

"_I thought we had discussed our marriage agreement many times already?" He shrugged, while walking to reach her standing position. "I needed a wife to stand by my side, with my professional position, it is custom to have one."_

"_It's kind of funny, because since I've been married to you, you never invited me to join you in any of your business dinners or cocktails." She busted to his face. "Is it because you're ashamed of me, I'm not pretty enough?" _

"_Don't say stupid things like that, Katerina." Elijah mumbled, angrily, between his teeth. "It enrages me when you do, you're gorgeous and you know it."_

"_And yet, you're not even able to understand that I don't care about all of these designer clothes or shoes. I'm buying them because … Because I want for you to be proud of the woman who's standing by your side in front of your business partners." _

"_I'm …" He started, before lowering his head, and closing his fists in anger. Anger directed at himself for leading her into believing that he did not care. "I'm busy with my work these days; it's the role of my wife to understand that simple fact."_

"_Why don't you spell it, Elijah: You did not marry me for "me", instead you had bought yourself a deluxe escort who needs to look good for her husband if and when he'll need her for services, am I right?" She lashed out, while pointing a finger at his chest, with a single tear rolling on her left cheek, before turning on her heels and storming out of his office._

"_Katerina … Katerina…" He called several times into the empty corridors, without being answered. _

_The young woman had run away from him…_

"_Damn it!" He busted, angrily, at himself, before hitting the arch door with his closed fist._

* * *

_Katerina stood on the threshold of the laundry room, her hands buried in the back pockets of her designer jeans, perched on her new high heels red shoes._

_Maria raised her head from the clothes basket where her hands were buried in search of a missing black sock._

"_Are these new shoes, Mrs. Katerina?" Maria smiled, while winking at the young woman._

"_Aren't they precious?" Katerina responded, while twirling her right ankle, with a timid smile blessing her lips._

"_They are very nice, "Louboutin"?" Maria arched an eyebrow in interrogation._

"_Chanel." Katerina spread her smile from ear to ear._

"_Well, your feet look very pretty in them." Maria smiled._

"_It's the only thing that I am allowed to do these days: shop!" Katerina sighed, while leaning her upper body on the arch door, before crossing her arms in front of her chest. _

"_I got it!" Maria exclaimed joyfully while reaching for a black sock that was hiding underneath a set of white body towels. "I've been trying to find your husband missing sock since a couple of days now."_

"_I think… I'll ask Elijah, my husband, for an annulment or a divorce whatever will be easier for him to give me." Katerina said in one breath, while swallowing a nervous lump into her throat._

_Maria raised her head in surprise at the young woman that was standing by her side, before shaking her head and talking a few steps to reach her._

"_Come." The governess proposed to her, while grabbing Katerina's right hand, before inviting her to take a siting place on a wooden bench placed near the appliances. "Why would you do that, my child? Is it because of your sister's situation?"_

_Katerina buried her face into her hands while sighing loudly. _

"_He hasn't touched me, yet … I mean, not one single time, except for a kiss or two." The young Russian admitted while shrugging her shoulders and avoiding Maria's sight. "I thought we had reached a place where we could stepped over the threshold, but now he's … He's only polite and respectful, but he's avoiding me. I know that I've accepted these conditions from the start … But …"_

"_He hasn't? What do you …Oh, right, I see!" Maria exclaimed, while blushing and lowering her head. _

"_I'm sorry, Maria, this is awkward for you, obviously, I … I put you in the middle of something that doesn't concern you." Katerina stammered the apology._

"_My dear, the minute I've stepped into this house with the title of governess, believe me when I say that I was placed into awkwardness from the start." Maria mocked. "It all came with the job description." She added, while squeezing Katerina's hands in hers. _

"_How did you … I mean how did you obtain this position?" Katerina asked the governess._

"_Oh…Well, I have been diagnosed with a rare medical condition and Mr. Mikaelson was kind enough to offer me this job regardless of my problem." Maria explained, evasively._

"_I'm sorry … I had no idea." Katerine stammered the words._

"_No need, it's a part of me and I made peace with it now." Maria replied, smiling. "Now, as for your husband, Mister Mikaelson…" She sighed. "The poor man is unfortunately in the middle of a delicate situation." She tried her best to explain._

"_Not able to express to his wife that he's not attracted to her?" Katerina mumbled, angrily, between her teeth. _

"_No, I don't believe this for a second. Because we both know, my child, that this is bogus." Maria shook her head. "It's just that your husband has no way of knowing the outcome of his brother and your sister relationship, therefore, he don't want to hurt you, or lead you into false promises."_

"_You know how … I mean how both of our marriages happened, do you, Maria?" Katerina asked, while rubbing he hands nervously._

"_Yes, I know the essential part of it." Maria nodded._

"_If … If "his" brother doesn't come back, then my sister will be free of her engagement to this man." She mumbled the words, while standing up, before pacing back and forth in front of the governess. "What is making me so angry is that her marriage was consummated under …" Katerina sighed in anger, before closing her eyes and making a pause to calm her down. "It was consummated, and she couldn't get an annulment when in reverse I can!"_

"_You're talking about two different situations, Mrs. Katerina." Maria tried to reason with her._

"_He left Maria! He took his backpack and left my sister hanging after what he had done to her." Katerina shouted to the governess._

"_Well, yes … But …" Maria tried to cut Katerina in the middle of her sentence._

"_There is no but! He abused my sister… And yet, she was willing to forgive him. I don't know from where within herself she could even find the strength to do that." She exclaimed more._

"_They probably have a special bound between them Mrs. Katerina that they can't begin to explain themselves." Maria tempted a new approach. "I've seen their exchanges; they could barely keep their eyes away from each other."_

"_They have a what? No, she couldn't have a bound with that kind of man. She is just afraid and lost, and don't know how to react." Katerina listed the reasons._

"_Mm…" Maria let out the sound._

"_What, Maria?" Katerina asked, while shrugging her shoulders._

"_And you have lost yours, haven't you?" Maria asked. "You have lost your "bound" with your sister?" _

_Katerina hold her pace, before taking a few deep breaths into her lungs, through the blurry vision of her teary eyes._

"_She's avoiding me since Klaus left… because…" She half confessed to Maria, before taking her sitting position back at governess's side. _

"_Mrs. Carolina is avoiding you __**because**__ you're against her decision to wait for "her" husband to give him a second chance." Maria finished her thought. "At the same time, you're torn because you would like to give a chance to your own marriage, but you can't contemplate this option as long as you don't know if your sister will not bail out of the initial deal?"_

_Katerina nodded her head discreetly, while keeping her sight on her lap._

"_Would you like for your sister to put her nose in your relationship with Mister Mikaelson?" Maria asked, with a raised eyebrow._

"_It's not the same, Maria." Katerina sighed, before passing a hand through her tangled hair._

"_Perhaps it's not the same conditions, but it's "her" husband as much as it is "yours", Mrs. Katerina." Maria encouraged her. "You couldn't begin to understand her marriage dynamic, she couldn't understand yours. If her relationship with Mister Klaus is doomed, and meant to fail, let her figure that part for herself, but if it meant to flourish into some kind of new beginning for them, you'll have to accept this outcome as well, my child. Give yourself the gift of "time", because only time will heal the wounds." _

_Katerina raised on her legs, before leading her walk toward the exit, while leaning her body on the arch door and taking a last glimpse at Maria._

"_You think he'll come back?" She asked, worried._

"_Yes, I think Mister Klaus will come back, when he'll be ready to make the move." Maria nodded. "He simply gave the opportunity to your sister to bail herself out, but she have chosen to wait for him."_

"_Ok." Katerina nodded, while taking her first steps into the corridor._

"_Mrs. Katerina?" Maria called._

"_Yes?" She replied, while passing her head back under the arch._

"_Your husband is a good, loyal, sincere and trustworthy man; give it a bit of more time." Maria suggested, with a smile._

"_And if he stays stoic as he is now?" Katerina asked, while blushing._

"_We'll launch the operation "commando" to wake him up!" Maria replied, mocker, while standing up and pointing a finger at the young woman, who busted into laughter._

* * *

_**Two months later…**_

"_Thanks… I mean for accompany me." Carolina thanked Stefan Salvatore, while lowering her blushed cheeks._

_An early spring had pushed the grey sky of the winter into its luminous rays of sunshine and blue sky. They were strolling the streets of London while window shopping._

"_You mean forcing you into getting out of the house, aren't you?" Stefan winked at her, while twisting the corners of his lips into a smile._

"_It's a way of phrasing it." She smiled back at him. "Do you feel obligated? I hope… I mean with my husband's departure, I hope it's not the case?" She asked, in a worried state of mind._

"_My dear, I'm not the kind of man that feels obligated of doing things that he doesn't want to do. Relax; it's a pleasure to accompany you." He replied to her. "I was in London for a couple of days for business. I thought of mixing work with pleasure, and that it would be courteous to visit you."_

"_I'm sure he… My husband would appreciate your kind consideration toward me." She nodded, respectfully._

"_You're kidding, right? Because If only he knew that I'm standing as of now, in a so close proximity of you, he would hate it with a passion. He's not one to share his most precious possession" Stefan smirked. "He would be chasing after me through the streets of London with a dagger in hands."_

_Carolina stopped her walking pace, while standing motionless with a haggard look splattered on her face._

"_I'm joking, Carolina!" Stefan exclaimed, while waving both hands in front of her sight, to snap her out of her frozen state. "Well, half joking really, he would still be chasing after me, but probably not with a dagger in hands." He added, smirking._

"_If he wanted no one to accompany me in my walk, he should have stayed in London." She responded, while shrugging her shoulders, and reprising her walk._

"_Touché…Is this helping the rage you're containing inside of yourself?" Stefan asked mocker._

"_A bit…" Carolina responded, smiling herself._

"_You know I was not joking when I've mentioned that you became Klaus's most precious possession." Stefan added, with raised eyebrows._

"_I'm a woman not an object." She mumbled, angrily, between her teeth._

"_Klaus is a complex and unique man; he sees things differently than the majority of us, poor souls." Stefan explained, while offering Carolina his left upper arm to help her cross the street. "But, he cares about "you", Carolina; he left probably for the only reason of feeling the steady ground moving under his feet, he got scared…Only a strong, unique, and beautiful woman as yourself could have managed to create this behavior in him."_

"_How … How did you become friends?" Carolina asked, before releasing her grip on his arm. "Thank you." _

"_You're welcome." He replied, smiling. "Well, we've been friends since centuries actually." _

_Carolina raised her head to glance at him in surprise._

"_I mean it feels like centuries." Stefan rephrased it, while frowning over his stupid error. __**Focus Salvatore; focus**__ … "We met in Chicago actually, many years ago."_

"_How was "he", back in those days?" Carolina asked, while blushing and shrugging her shoulders. _

"_Pretty much the same, pretentious, pain in the ass, jerk! You needed to bless the ground that he was walking on … An "asshole" in all his glory." Stefan mocked._

"_Then why are you still his friend?" Carolina asked, while glancing at him with a raised eyebrow. _

"_Because he's also loyal, faithful, and he would lay his own safety on the line to protect his love ones." He replied truthfully. "He's been searching for this unconditional "love" all his life. He wasn't appreciated by his step-father and it kind of made him what he is now."_

"_He's lucky." She replied, while swallowing a nervous lump in her throat._

"_And why is that?" Stefan replied._

"_He's lucky simply because he has found you for a friend." Carolina replied. _

"_And you for a wife." Stefan replied, tit for tat. "Now if only he was here to realize it? If only he would know that you've been waiting for his return for months now?"_

_Carolina raised her head before noticing the "chic" hairdresser establishment in front of her sight._

"_Stefan, do you mind if we part ways in here? I suddenly think that I'm due for a change." She asked him._

"_Not at all…Do you have money on you for a cab?" Stefan replied._

"_Yes, thank you for you kindness. I'll take one or I'll walk back to the mansion." She answered him, politely._

"_Don't go "redhead" on us; you're too gorgeous as a blonde." He suggested, before blessing her left cheek of a kiss, and leaving her standing in front of the hairdresser window._

_The recent past still weighed on her frail shoulders … But, the future was her to hold._

* * *

"_Maria?" The governess heard her name being called, before turning on herself to take a quick glimpse._

"_Mrs. Carolina? I did not hear you stand outside the kitchen my child, what can I do for you?" Maria asked, while grabbing a hand towel to dry her hands._

"_I was wondering if you find the key of the room upstairs. You know the art shop room?" Carolina asked, while entering the kitchen, barefooted, with a torn t-shirt and a torn pair of jeans as clothes. _

"_Yes, I actually did, Mrs. Carolina, though this room has been closed for several years, now." She responded, while opening a drawer to reach for an old brass key. "I'll go with you to open the door. The room must be filled with dust by now." She added, while turning on herself to face the young Russian. "Oh, dear Jesus, what have you done to your hair?" She exclaimed, while raising her right hand over her chest._

"_You… You don't like, Maria?" Carolina asked, with flushed cheeks, while raising her right hand on her neck to touch the short locks._

"_What? No, no, my bad to make you believe the contrary, actually, you look adorable with short hair; this simply took me by surprise." Maria said truthfully, while smiling. "Shall we go?" She invited Carolina to follow her into the corridors._

"_You're sure it won't be a problem for me to enter my husband art shop?" Carolina asked, nervously._

"_I don't see why it would be, Mrs. Carolina? This art shop had been condemned for years now." Maria explained, while climbing the stairs. "Did you approach Mister Elijah with your wish to start art classes?"_

"_No, I did not approach him yet." Carolina shook her head, while rubbing her hands nervously._

_Maria held her walking pace in front of the locked door, before slowly sliding the key into the lock._

"_You know, I believe that Mr. Elijah will probably be very surprised and content by your sudden ambition to further new personal path in your life." Maria replied, while pushing the door open, and opening the light._

"_I suppose…" Carolina responded, while shrugging her shoulders. "I need to occupy my time while "he's" away." She added, while passing by Maria's side to enter the art shop._

"_The hair, my child…You cut it to remove a heavy weight on your shoulders, if only just as a sign, could I be right?" Maria asked, while tilting her head, and joining her hands._

_Carolina turned her head to take a glance at Maria, while discreetly nodding her head._

"_Yes." She confessed, in a low murmur._

"_Did it help?" Maria asked, in concerns._

"_Somehow, and in a weird way, yes, it did, Maria." Carolina explained._

"_Then, it was a good decision." Maria replied, smiling, before advancing into the art shop before removing sheets over a few furniture and white canvas._

"_It's big and bright." Caroline confessed, while twirling on herself. "Look at all this high windows." She exclaimed, amazed of discovering this hiding room in the manor._

"_It is, isn't it?" Maria responded, while scattering the room. "You should be able to use the space after a good cleaning." _

"_It's a shame that this room was condemned." Caroline thought out loud._

"_Your husband used to come every day a few years ago, and then … He simply stopped." Maria informed her._

"_You know why?" Carolina asked, curious._

"_No, he just condemned the door. You were lucky that I was able to find it." Maria smiled. _

"_What is under this big sheet?" Carolina asked, while pointing the wall._

"_Mm… It's probably one of his paintings?" Maria guessed, before reaching the sheet and pulling on it, while making her cough and creating a cloud of dusts at the same time._

_They both stood speechless and in admiration in front of the masterpiece._

"_He's talented, but his work is so dark." Carolina expressed herself, while approaching the canvas and touching with the tips of her fingers, the dark paint used on this masterpiece. _

"_Your husband is a tormented and lonely man….Until the day he met you, I saw a change in him." Maria replied, with her arms crossed in front of her chest, while tilting her head. "Of course I say that with all respect to my employer." She added, while blushing._

"_Your secret thoughts on my husband art are safe with me, Maria." Carolina smirked, while winking at the governess._

"_Well, that is certainly a relief." Maria replied, sarcastically. "I let you be, Mrs. Carolina." _

"_Oh Maria … You're not obligated to leave." Carolina tried to retain the governess._

"_I have work that is awaiting me in the kitchen." Maria replied, before adding. "Plus, I believe that this private time, in your husband art shop, will make your learn a bit more about him through his paintings." She added to the young woman._

_Carolina nodded her head to Maria, before turning back her sight on the dark expression of the painting. _

_His husband was still a mystery to her, but with time passing by, she was discovering more and more about him and all his complexity._

* * *

_A discreet knock on the office door startled Elijah._

"_Come in?" He invited the intruder, while raising his head from his desktop._

"_Hi." Carolina greeted, while closing the study room door behind her back._

"_Carolina, it's nice to see you, how have you been?" Elijah asked, a smile blessing his lips, while inviting her, with a hand gesture, to take a sitting place in front of him. "You cut your hair?" He smiled, while tilting his head._

"_Yes." She blushed, while touching her short locks._

"_It suits you well." He replied, sincerely. "What can I do for you?" He added as a question, while leaning his upper body on the back of his office leather chair._

"_I've been waiting for a long time now…" She tried to explain, while stammering the words. _

"_You want out of the deal?" Elijah asked, while swallowing a nervous lump in his throat. Carolina wanting out of her marriage with his brother could only mean that he would lose his chance to make his real. _

"_No, no … I'm still waiting for my husband return." She confirmed to him, under his sigh of pure relief. "I'm…You see, while I'm waiting, I was wondering if it would be alright with you if I started a few art classes?" She asked. "I know that in the past you told me that if I needed anything … So…" _

_Elijah raised an eyebrow, mostly surprised, before crossing his arms over his chest._

"_Done" He accepted, while nodding his head._

"_Like that." She said, joyfully._

"_Like that." He replied, smiling._

"_Oh thank you, thank you so much!" She thanked him, warmly, while standing up and walking excitedly toward the door._

"_Let me know the term for the payments, would you?" He asked of her._

"_Sure." She replied, happily, before turning the door handle. _

"_Carolina?" He called her._

"_Yes?" She replied, while turning her head toward him._

"_Did you reopen the art shop?" He asked, questioning._

"_Yes, but if it is a problem…" She tried to apologize._

"_No, not at all, don't worry about that, it's just … It's just that you seem to have more in common with my brother than I firstly thought." He nodded._

"_I … I saw a couple of his painting. Your brother is very talented." She replied, while lowering her sight._

"_Yes, he was." Elijah replied to her, his sight lost in the emptiness of the room._

"_Thank you." She added, before opening the door._

"_Carolina?" He called a second time._

"_Yes, Elijah?" She replied._

"_My brother would certainly be proud of seeing you take these art classes." Elijah added. "He would want you to be in his art shop, I'm certain of that."_

_Carolina nodded her head discreetly, before leaving the study room._

* * *

_**Germany, Munich city**_

_Klaus entered the deserted bar, late at night, while slowly accommodating his sight to the penumbra of the place, his senses in alert, with the only sound of his footsteps reasoning on the wooden floor. Some sources has informed him that "she" could be present inside these walls, but nothing had been confirmed as of now, the narrowed sights of a few vampires men glued on him could be the predicament of a few unfortunate deaths to come if they would not behave accordingly to his needs… Though, the idea was not without charm to the hybrid. Killing a few of these poor souls would probably put him to sleep tonight._

_He reached the bar, before lowering his helmet on the counter._

"_Whisky" He ordered the bartender._

_The bartender raised his sight on him, before reaching for a bottle of Whisky on a shelf behind his back. He poured the amber liquid into a glass, before sliding it in front of Klaus._

"_Danke" He thanked the bartender in German._

"_Klaus Mikaelson." He heard a voice calling him, before smirking with his nose buried in the glass. "I have to see it to believe it." The voice added. "If I was not showing myself, in the flesh, you would have killed all my vampires, am I right?"_

_Klaus turned his sight toward the middle age woman that was standing at the far end of the bar counter with her arms crossed in front of her chest._

"_Liz!" He exclaimed, while lowering his empty glass on the bar counter, before strolling toward her. "I was considering it actually, boredom and all." He added, while smirking._

"_What do you want jerk?" The vampire woman asked, while raising her chin at him._

"_I want a hug from you whore, perhaps?" He asked, with his most adorable puppy face._

"_Come here, rascal!" She greeted him with a friendly slap on his bearded face._

"_You're still the same tomboy, woman!" He replied, while raising her in his arms. "How are you, Liz?" He asked, before dropping her back on her feet._

"_Bah, you know, the vampires species has seen better centuries." She replied, shrugging, before snapping his fingers at the bartender. "Bringen uns eine Flasche Whisky." _

_The bartender nodded his head at her request to bring them a bottle of Whisky. _

"_Sit" She ordered Klaus, while taking her own sitting position at a table in front of him._

_The bartender walked to the table, before sliding two empty glasses in front of their sights, and leaving them with a full bottle of Whisky._

_Liz grabbed the bottle, before pouring the alcohol in the glasses._

"_Gesundheit!" She greeted, before gulping the glass content._

"_Gesundheit!" Klaus greeted, in return, while gulping his own. "Good stuff, sweetheart!" Klaus confirmed, while passing the back of his hand to wipe his mouth._

"_You know my love for alcohol?" The women replied, grinning, while raising her army boots on the table._

"_I've heard about it." Klaus replied, smirking, while raising his own legs._

"_What brings you in Germany, jerk?" Liz asked the hybrid._

"_I've been touring Europe since a couple of months." He replied, while lowering his head and sight on the table. "I've heard you were in Germany, I thought I would come and salute you." He shrugged._

"_I see." Liz replied, while filling their glasses for the second time. "When you say touring Europe, and by your general look: torn jeans, leather jacket, beard, longer hair … I presume you've helped the over population of this planet by going on a killing spree?" She asked, with raised eyebrows._

"_You always knew how I get my thrill, Liz." He replied, with a sadistic smile plastered on his lips, before gulping his second glass._

"_The hybrid in action… Yes, I remember." She nodded her head. "But, tell me, what happened to the revamp version of yourself, the rich "Duke" Klaus Mikaelson?" _

"_He got bored." He mumbled, angrily, between his teeth, before reaching for the bottle and filling his glass one more time._

"_And son of a bitch… He also got married?" Liz exclaimed in shock, while grabbing Klaus's left hand in her. "Care to explain this?" The vampire asked him, while showing his wedding ring._

"_There's nothing to explain." He replied, slyly. "I must have been drunk and made a huge mistake." _

"_I'll be damn." Liz replied, while crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You actually have feelings for that girl." _

"_I could easily kill you, in the time space of three seconds if I take my time, Liz, don't push it." Klaus mumbled, angrily, between his teeth, as a warning. _

"_I'm shitting in my panties, Mikaelson." She replied, laughing. "So, is she a pretty, brunette?" _

"_She's blonde." He replied, while hoping that she would leave the subject alone._

"_You hate blondes." She said, amazed._

"_I know!" He shrugged._

"_She must be a hell of a vampire to put the mighty Klaus Mikaelson in this bad mood?" She concluded._

_Klaus kept silent, while lowering his sight on the amber liquid placed in his hands._

"_She's not a vampire? She's human?" Liz exclaimed, dumbfounded. "I'll be damn! I want to meet this woman." _

"_Not going to happen." Klaus replied, while gulping his third glass of Whisky._

"_Scattering Europe will not make your forget about her, Klaus. If you did not forget her already, it's unlikely that you'll ever will. Especially while keeping your wedding band as a concrete sign of your attachment for her."_

"_I'm aiming for her to forget me, Liz." He replied, while swallowing a nervous lump in his throat. "I… I screw up, badly."_

"_I see." She replied. "Love is the greatest weakness for a vampire, Liz… Wasn't it your own sentence?" She asked, with raised eyebrows. _

"_Can we talk about something else?" Klaus asked, nervously, while pushing his empty glass on the table. _

_Liz scattered the empty room, before lowering her legs on the floor, and leaning her upper body on the table._

"_There's a rumor." She murmured to the hybrid. "I don't want my vampires to hear it, because it's not sure that it's founded."_

"_What kind of rumor?" Klaus asked, while frowning in interest._

"_There's a Russian mafia, a group of werewolves with as their leader a hybrid, just like you." She informed him. "I just know that his first name is: __**Ludvig**__."_

_Klaus narrowed his sight on her, while giving her his full attention._

"_And, what…What are they aiming for: power, money, and the thrill of a kill?" He asked Liz._

"_Neither. The said hybrid has built an army of werewolves. The rumor says that he wants to abolish the present vampire's species, to build a new one, a stronger and indestructible one."_

"_He wants to create a new hybrids species, and abolish the old vampire one." Klaus replied, while crossing his arms over his chest. "What else do you know?" He asked._

"_To this point, I don't know much, unfortunately." She shook her head. "What do you think?" She asked._

"_We'll wait… Maybe this Ludvig is simply delusional at thinking that he can rule the supernatural world?" Klaus replied to his vampire friend. "Especially, darling, that it's been me who has run it for such a long time." He smirked, before gulping another glass of Whisky._

* * *

_**Six months later of Klaus's departure …**_

_Carolina entered the old century building, before strolling for several minutes into the different corridors placed in front of her sight. She buried her right hand in her backpack while pulling a registration paper from its inside._

"_Registration, ground floor, corridor Z-2" She read out loud._

"_You're heading toward the Registration?" A dark blonde, young man asked her, while carrying a cardboard box._

"_Yes, I am." Carolina replied, with a timid smile._

"_Follow me I'm heading that way." He replied, smiling._

"_Oh … Ok, sure." She replied, while walking on the young man heels._

"_I'm Matt by the way." The young English man presented himself._

"_Carolina… I mean Caroline." She responded, blushing._

"_Well, nice to meet you Carolina-Caroline." Matt greeted her, while winking. "What are you registering for?"_

"_Drawing and painting, level 1 and the succeeding levels afterward." She replied, while reading the course title on the form._

"_You're kind of ambitious." Matt admitted._

"_You think it's too much?" She stammered the words, nervously._

"_No, I'm joking." Matt replied, with a small laugh. "I actually been in all of those courses, you'll love them." _

"_I'm excited to start." Carolina nodded her head._

"_Bonnie!" Matt exclaimed, while carrying the box inside the registration office. "There is someone for you at the counter!"_

"_Why are you shouting, I'm not deaf?" The said called woman rolled her eyes, before passing her tongue at the English man, who laugh even more after her reply. "Hi! You're here for registration?" She greeted Carolina, while chewing loudly, with a smile from ear to ear._

"_Yes, actually I've been pre-registered, I'm here to bring the money for the fee and obtain the list of supplies that I need to start on Monday." Carolina replied, while leaning her upper body on the counter._

"_What is your name?" Bonnie asked, while facing his computer screen._

"_I'm Carolina Petrova." She replied instinctively, before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I made a mistake, and my name is actually Caroline Forbes Mikaelson." _

_Bonnie raised a surprised sight at the young woman who was standing in front of her._

"_I was married just a few months ago, and I always forget my new name." Carolina tried to explain, while blushing._

"_Damn! I won't be able to ask you out then?" Matt said, mocker, while leaning his upper body near Bonnie's, on the other side of the counter._

"_Don't listen to him; he thinks that he is God's gift to the female population of London." Bonnie rolled her eyes to the ceiling. _

"_Well, don't forget that you slept with me, sweetheart." Matt replied, tit for tat._

"_Yes, and what an error it was." Bonnie replied, while sighing loudly._

"_True, we did not connect at all." Matt replied, while shaking his head to an uncomfortable Carolina._

"_Could you just shut up, you're making Caroline uncomfortable." Bonnie replied, while reaching the printer to pull out a few papers._

"_Where are you from, Caroline, I can distinctly hear an accent?" Matt asked her. "Petrova… It's Russian, isn't it?"_

"_Yes, it is." Carolina replied, proudly, while nodding. "You have an accent too, American, isn't it?" She asked Bonnie._

"_You'll have to be deaf to not hear her American accent." Matt mocked, laughing._

"_Well, at least, I'm not talking like I have a hot potato in my mouth." She replied, while passing her tongue at her friend._

"_That's because she's too busy eating all the French fries and hamburgers she can find." Matt addressed himself to Carolina, who let out a small laugh._

"_Don't listen to him." Bonnie warned her. "I'm Bonnie by the way." She added, while handing her hand to the young Russian._

"_It's nice to meet you, Bonnie." Carolina replied, while shaking her hand. "Are you working in the school as of now… I mean since you've arrived in London?"_

"_I'm giving a hand to replace someone who's sick at the moment. I arrived in London couple of months ago to take a few art courses and see if I would integrate this Royal Kingdom afterward, if I can find a permanent job that is?" Bonnie replied, while shrugging her shoulders. "Then I met this asshole of English man, and we became friends."_

"_Watch your mouth, Bennett the American." Matt replied, while pushing her._

"_Ok, so … You're been registered for: drawing and painting, level 1. I just need you to put your signature on this line." Bonnie asked of her, while pointing a finger on the said line on the registering form. "We'll be in the same class." She added, smiling._

"_You're serious?" Carolina replied, while raising her head, before handing the signed form to Bonnie._

"_Yap, one of the many reasons I wanted to come in London to take these art classes was actually because of the professor who will give these courses: Alaric Saltzman is well known in the art community." Bonnie replied, before handing another form to her. "This paper is for you. You have the list of all the supplies needed for the art class, what is highlighted you'll have to buy the right expensive brand of brushes, unfortunately, but for most of the remaining products you can go with a generic brand." _

"_Thank you." Carolina replied, with a smile from ear to ear, before sliding the forms in her backpack. "I see you in class on Monday then, goodbye!"_

"_Goodbye Caroline!" Both, Matt and Bonnie replied, simultaneously._

_She walked toward the exit of the building with a smile plastered on her lips, her shoulders straightened, her head up high … She stepped outside while taking a deep breath of fresh air into her lungs._

_For the first time, she felt hopeful of the future…_

* * *

_Elijah kept his sight on his opened file, placed on his desktop, while comparing different charts of statistics on the hospital project in hands. He had decided to work at home, while taking a time off from his London office. _

_He had tried his very best to stay away from his wife, Katerina, the past few months, while converting his mind and initial idea to a 360 degrees turn. He couldn't openly ask her to invest herself in their marital contract before knowing the faith of Klaus's and Carolina's marriage._

_He closed his eyes, before stroking both of his temples with the tips of his fingers, while being annoyed beyond belief, by the noise Maria was making with her duster in hands. How could a duster made of feathers make so much noise?_

_He sighed loudly, while raising his narrowed sight on his governess._

_Maria glanced rapidly in his direction, while raising her duster on the library shelves._

"_Everything is alright, Mister Mikaelson?" Maria asked him, while pushing a vase on the wood panel, in the most annoying shrill noise._

"_Yes, Maria, everything is fine." He mumbled, between his teeth. "Will you be almost done with this … This dusting of yours?" He asked, with a hand gesture._

"_Mm … Did you say something?" She asked him, while biting her bottom lip to retain her laughter. _

"_It's ok, never mind, Maria." He said, while lowering his head back on his opened file._

_She pushed an armchair on the wooden floor, while creating another acute noise._

"_Ok, I give up." Elijah exclaimed, while throwing his golden pen on his desktop, before lowering his upper body on the back of his leather chair, and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I'm listening." He added._

"_I'm sorry? You were saying?" Maria replied, while straightening her body in a standing position._

"_Obviously, you have something on your mind that you want to share with me, Maria, so, I'm listening." He suggested to her._

"_Well, I was actually saying in silence to myself…" She started._

"_In silence, I doubt that, my dear." He mumbled, in a murmur, between his teeth, while rolling his eyes to the ceiling._

"_That it was a magnificent spring day, today, and that you could certainly bring Mrs. Katherine to a night out in the town?" Maria proposed, while turning her back at him, and biting her bottom lip in expectation of his answer._

"_I'm busy tonight; Maria, I have a board meeting followed by a business dinner." Elijah replied, while taking his pen back in his right hand. "My Armani shirt has been ironed and pressed?"_

"_Mm… I understand, Sir, like you've been busy the last few months." Maria replied, while dusting rigorously another tablet. "And yes, the said shirt has been pressed." _

"_Is there a subliminal message that I'm supposed to understand between the lines, Maria?" Elijah asked, with a raised eyebrow._

"_What? No, Mr. Mikaelson, I wouldn't allow myself to put my nose in your personal life. It would be so disrespectful, especially in my working hours of the day." She replied, falsely outraged, before lowering her duster on a side table, while raising her uniform sleeve to take a glimpse at her watch._

"_Well, it's highly appreciated, Maria, I have enough to deal with as it is." He sighed, before raising his sight back at his governess. "What are you doing now?"_

"_I'm counting the last remaining five seconds of my work shift." She explained. "Five, four, three, two, one, I believe that I've entered my personal time now." _

"_Are you feeling ok, Maria?" Elijah asked his governess, with a raised eyebrow. _

"_Of course, Mister Mikaelson, but now that I am in my free time, if you would allow me to give you a well-deserved advice?" Maria warned him, while titling her head and crossing her hands in front of her chest._

"_I should have known that it would not be so easy." He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "I'm listening." He added, before crossing both of his hands behind his head._

"_You're acting like a pretentious, snobbish man who's not able to grab his own happiness with both of his hands, and who's treating his own wife like she's a merchandise that he has purchased on the shopping channel" She busted at his face._

"_I …" Elijah tried to cut Maria in her sentence, while blushing under the attack._

"_I'm not finished." She raised her right hand in front of his sight to stop his say. "You have a beautiful, intelligent wife by your side that was gracious enough to wait for your childishness to take its course. She is obviously crazy about you, or why would she had been so patient with your tantrum?" _

"_I…" Elijah tried a second approach._

"_Ta, ta, ta …" She cut him once again. "If you are not putting yourself together very rapidly, you'll lose her for good, and you'll have only yourself, sir, to blame for, and the excuse of your brother's wedding won't stand this time!"_

"_Are you finished now, Maria?" Elijah asked, completely dumbfounded._

"_Yes, and I wish you a very nice evening." She concluded, before turning on her heels, and leaving the study room under a loud slamming of the door, while leaving Elijah completely speechless._

* * *

_Katerina flipped through the pages of a fashion magazine, while comfortably sitting in a leather chair in the parlor room. She sighed loudly, while throwing the magazine on a table, before crossing her arms in front of her chest in boredom. _

"_Mrs. Katerina?" She heard her name being yelled by Maria._

"_Maria is there something wrong?" Katerina stammered the words, surprised, while turning her sight and body toward the governess that was storming inside the room._

"_I believe we'll launch the operation "commando" tonight, Mrs. Katerina." The governess exclaimed at her, before grabbing Katherina's right hand in hers, to pull her away from her comfortable sitting position._

"_What? What are you saying, Maria?" Katerina asked, dumbfounded, while being pulled behind Maria's heels. "And why are you carrying this man shirt with you?"_

"_As of now, this man shirt will be your weapon of seduction, use it as you will, but please, wake up this stubborn husband of yours, once in for all!" Maria lashed out, while rolling her eyes. "Or, I'll find a way to kill him with my bare hands myself!"_

* * *

"_Maria!" Elijah yelled, angrily, while opening his bedroom-suite door and barging into the corridor._

"_Mr. Mikaelson." She greeted, while nodding discreetly, before sliding her hands into a pair of silk gloves, and directing her steps down the stairs._

"_My Armani shirt, the lilac one, where is it? I have an important business dinner in less than an hour?" Elijah required, before following his governess' hells down the stairs. _

"_Like I've mentioned to you, Mr. Mikaelson, your shirt has been ironed, steamed and placed in your walk-in closet, now if you misplaced it, I certainly can't be held responsible for it?" She responded, before reaching the entrance lobby. _

"_I couldn't have misplaced it because I never saw it!" Elijah mumbled, between his teeth._

"_Well, maybe someone else misplaced it, your wife, Mrs. Katherine perhaps?" She shrugged, uninterested by his present tantrum._

"_I know perfectly what my wife is called, Maria, no need to remind me." He replied, slyly._

"_Well, with those words, I wish you a pleasant evening, Sir; I hope you'll find your shirt very soon." She nodded her head, before grabbing the door handle. _

"_You're going to leave me like this?" Elijah asked, dumbfounded, with both of his hands firmly placed on each side of his waist._

"_Yes! I believe this is my evening off, and I have a date with Pavarotti at the Royal Opera House, "Le Nozze de Figaro." is waiting for me." She informed him, before storming out of the manor on a loud slamming of the front door. _

"_You got to be kidding me!" Elijah exclaimed to himself, before passing a nervous hand through his hair. "It's the second time she's slamming the door at my face, today." He added, before turning on his heels, and leading his walking steps toward the corridor. "Katerina?" He yelled, in hope of finding his wife, and perhaps his missing shirt._

* * *

_Elijah stormed inside his study office room while opening the door, before grabbing his blackberry from his pants' pocket and signaling the saved number of his office. _

_He suddenly stood speechless and motionless in the entrance of the room, his sight narrowed on his "wife", that was at the present moment lying on his desktop, half naked. He scattered very quickly the ambiance of the room: as lights goes, several candles had been sporadically placed on furniture, a bottle of wine was also placed on the edge of the desktop, with by its side, a filled glass of red wine obviously intended for him._

"_Mikaelson enterprise, Milanda Stenfford on the line, may I direct your call?" He heard his receptionist voice replied, not even able to articulate an answer to Miranda at the moment._

_Katerina was lying on his desktop; over a few of his files, while wearing as only clothes his missing Armani shirt, with the buttons opened on her deep neckline, and the black lace of her bra peaking erotically underneath the shirt fabric. Both of her sexy bare legs were equally exposed to his sigh, with her feet dressed with the high heels, feathers, slippers that drove him crazy. He swallowed a nervous lump in his throat, drops of sweat rolling slowly on each side of his temples, an obvious discomfort visibly noticeable in the crotch area of his trousers. Devil woman that she was! _

"_I was waiting for you." Katerina murmured to him, while sliding one of her finger in her glass of wine, slowly wrapping her finger of the red fruit nectar, raising it back to her parted red lips, before sucking hard on it. "I poured you a glass; maybe we could share a nightcap before you live for your business dinner?" She added, with a raised eyebrow, while purposely biting her pulpous and lustrous bottom lip, before lowering her right hand and seductively playing with the last button that was keeping the shirt closed on her naked body._

_**Fuck, fuck, fuck**__ … Elijah thought secretly, while rubbing his face with his right hand, not being able to formulate a coherent thought in his mind at the moment, his sight narrowed on the delicious curves of his wife breasts._

"_Mister Mikaelson, is this you? Can I help you?" He heard the worried voice of his secretary calling. _

"_Yes." He managed to whisper into the phone._

"_I did not put any panties underneath the shirt." Katerina whispered some more. "I hope you won't be disgusted by the idea of me lying almost naked on your desktop and all these files?" She added, naughty._

_Disgusted? Far from it! He had never been more sexually aroused in all his long vampire life, than this present moment, unable to react accordingly to the situation, to form a coherent thought, to take a step forward, while acting like a young teenager in front of his wife._

"_Are you ok, Mister Mikaelson? I'm worrying about you?" He heard Melinda asking._

"_I'm fine." He replied, while lowering his sight from the "object" of his arousal. "Could you call the associates and tell them that I'm cancelling tonight's dinner." _

"_But, Mister Mikaelson, some of them came from New York?" Miranda tried to object._

"_Could you do as I say, and don't ask anymore question, Miranda?" He ordered her, before closing the call, and throwing the blackberry on an armchair._

_Katerina swallowed a nervous lump in her throat, while rubbing her sweaty palms together. For the past minutes of this elaborated set up of seduction, she had been in perfect control of the situation, but now, with the hunter sight of her husband narrowed on his prey, she could feel the beats of her heart raising her level of fear._

_Elijah reached his wife sitting position on his desk, before grabbing the glass of wine and drinking its content in a single gulp, while keeping his fiery sight in hers. _

"_You …" She started nervously, stammering the words. "You cancelled the meeting?" _

"_Yes, I did." He replied, while taking slow, calculated steps to reach the right side of the desk, before grabbing her left ankle and raising her leg on his muscular chest, with Katerina's foot resting on his right shoulder, his hand slowly sliding on the length of her skin, with his lips kissing the tender part of her ankle. "You know how aroused I get when you put these slippers, aren't you, Katerina?" He asked her, while lowering his wife trembling leg back on the hard wood of the desktop._

"_Yes" She responded, while strengthening her upper body in a sitting position, before raising both of her hands on his muscular chest, feeling his muscles tensed under her touch over the fabric of his long sleeve t-shirt._

"_You've been a naughty girl, what do you expect me to do now?" He whispered, while leaning his head near hers, softly nibbling on her left earlobe, before slowly raising his hands between her inner thighs, higher on her burning core, under her cry of surprise and excitement._

"_I want … I want you to be as naughty as I am." She managed to murmured, while grabbing two hands full of his tick hair, at the base of his neck._

_Elijah growled loudly, while touching her arousal underneath the tip of his fingers. If ever there had been doubts about her attraction to him, they were surely vanishing by the window at the moment._

"_It's true; you're not wearing any panties." He moaned the sound of these words, while letting his fingers discovering every inch of her private self, under her loud panting sounds. "Not sure you're ready for me, ready for this, Katerina? At the moment, I could give a fuck about romantic preliminaries, I want to rip my shirt open, and push myself deeper than any other man have ever been inside of you until you'll beg me for mercy." _

_Katerina opened her eyes in shock, while catching her breath under his say, with redness coloring her cheeks, before locking her sight with the one of her husband._

"_Then what are you waiting for?" She suggested, before lowering her head and nibbling on the corners of his lips._

"_Erotic sorceress…" He murmured the words, before crashing his demanding mouth on hers, his hands buried in her lustrous curls, his tongue sliding between her parted lips, before tasting the heavenly taste of the wine on her own tongue._

_He frantically reached to grab the two panels of the shirt, before ripping the fabric opened, and pushing Katerina's trembling body back in a lying position on the hard surface of the desk. In no time, he got rid of his man clothes, while lowering his pants and boxer to his knees. There was not time to make a fashion statement; his dirty, naughty, aroused mind was set on one goal and one goal only! _

_She let out a loud cry at the exact time that his hard member entered the narrowest of her core's walls in a profound push that left her breathless._

_Elijah immobilized himself in her depth, while lowering his head on her trembling chest, under his own sounds of pleasure and arousal. He pushed the delicate lace fabric of her bra, before sucking and biting softly the aroused tip of her right breast. Katerina bent her back, while encircling his pelvic bones of her legs, before sinking her nails into the manly skin of his muscular back._

_He responded to her sensual motions by reprising his deep thrusts inside of her, each one faster and deeper than the previous one, leading both of them, and faster than anticipated, toward their mutual climax._

* * *

_The vibrant ringer of Elijah's blackberry reasoned in the silence of the bedroom. The Original vampire strengthened his right arm toward the nightstand under his growls of anger. Who would have the pretention of waking "them" up so early in the morning? That person could already recite a prayer for his/her life._

"_Yes!" He shouted in the phone._

"_Mister Mikaelson, I'm so sorry to disturb you, once again, this is Miranda." His secretary stammered the words, nervously._

"_And, why are you calling me this time?" He asked, in a blurry state of mind, while grabbing the alarm clock to take a glimpse at the present time. _

"_Well, it's near ten o'clock, Mister Mikaelson, and you were scheduled to meet with the Japanese congregation, at ten thirty, you remember?" She asked._

"_Vaguely…." He responded, while stroking his eyelids. "Well, postpone the meeting, Miranda." _

"_But, but … Sir, what am I supposed to tell them?" Miranda asked, dumbfounded._

"_Tell them that I intend to pass the day in bed while making passionate love to my wife." He responded, smirking, before closing the line on her._

_He got back under the blankets while sliding his strong hands around Katerina's waist._

"_I'm very surprised, Mister Mikaelson." She smiled heavenly, while keeping her eyes closed, her back turned, with her head resting on the pillow._

"_Why is that, Mrs. Mikaelson?" He asked, smirking, his hands sliding on her hips, his lips nibbling on the right side of her neck._

"_You choose me over your work." She confessed, while opening her eyes, before turning her head and drowning her sight in his. "Thank you." She murmured, truthfully, while caressing the virile line of his jaw._

"_That's because my beautiful wife has put a strong and powerful spell on me, forbidding me to leave this room and her side." Elijah replied, while winking at her. "Are you up to it; are you up to stay in bed all day with me, Katerina?" He asked, mocker, while sliding a strand of hair behind her ear._

_Katerina smiled to her husband, before kissing him softly on his lips._

"_I'm up to it." She responded, with a blissful smile from ear to ear, before feeling Elijah's muscular body climbing on hers, and his demanding mouth crashing on her trembling lips._

* * *

"_Maria is there any chocolate cupcakes left?" Carolina asked the governess, while leaning her upper body on the kitchen arch door._

_Maria turned on herself, while grinning and rolling her eyes to the ceiling, before taking a few walking steps to reach the fridge._

"_I know you too well; therefore, I've saved two for you, Mrs. Carolina." Maria replied, smiling, while handing a plate to the young Russian._

"_Oh, you're an angel!" Carolina smiled from ear to ear, before grabbing the plate from Maria's hands. "спасибо" She thanked her in Russian. "It means "thank you" in my natal language."_

"_I figured that much." Maria said. "And you are mostly welcome." She added, while taking a good look at the young woman. "I love the scarf around your head, it's very bohemian." She added, smiling. "And as bohemian goes, you already had the bare feet." She winked._

"_You think so?" Carolina blushed, while raising her hands to touch the fabric. _

"_The new artist has found her calling." Maria added. "It gives you a beautiful style of your own."_

"_I'm far from being an artist. I'm just learning." Carolina nodded her head, humbly at Maria. "The fee for the second level needs to be paid, and I was wondering if you knew where my sister's husband was?" She questioned the governess._

_Maria coughed discreetly, while lowering her head._

"_Well, your sister and Mr. Mikaelson are in bed." She replied, blushing, but with a smile plastered on her lips._

"_They are in bed?" Carolina repeated, while taking a quick glimpse at her watch. "But it's five in the afternoon."_

"_Mm, Mm…" Maria mumbled the sound, while raising an eyebrow._

"_Oh! They are "in bed"!" Carolina exclaimed, while smirking. "I understand. I'm happy for them." She added, truthfully, while grabbing the plate and heading toward the exit._

"_Miss Carolina?" Maria called._

"_Yes?" She replied, while turning her head toward the governess._

"_You'll be happy one day soon." She added, with a smile._

_Carolina nodded her head discreetly, before leaving the kitchen._

* * *

_The last two months at the art school had given Carolina an energy boost. She was happy to wake up in the morning, full of energy, enthusiastic, while being hopeful that her day would be filled with new amazing technics to learn. Alaric Saltzman was a brilliant art teacher, and she was learning a lot with him as theory goes, but the practice was much harder for her._

_It had been a joy to have met Bonnie also. She was hip, outgoing and totally honest, the kind of persona and friend that Carolina needed in her new life in London._

_She was sitting on a wooden stool in front of her trestle, late day, with the rays of sunshine entering the windows of the art shop. She raised her sight on the canvas, majorly unhappy with the result at the moment. She had been asked to paint a set of unanimated objects, but she was not able to achieve the right technic yet. _

_She sighed in frustration, while lowering her sight on the two cupcakes, before regaining her smile and grabbing one, her front teeth attacking the frosting a second later. She closed her eyes while moaning with pleasure… Heaven on earth… And then … _

_Her heart skipped a beat. She lowered the cupcake back on the plate, while raising her right hand over her raising chest, higher near her throat, without being able to let air into her lungs._

_**Calm down Carolina, calm down**__ … She murmured to herself to lower the effects of her panic attack, while gently rubbing her throat to help her breathe. She finally managed to take deep breaths into her lung, her chest rising higher under the pressure._

_This particular noise sound of boots hitting the marble floor of the nearby corridor, she remembered …. She remembered that particular sound way too well, because she had heard it before … Six months ago, when her husband had left her side … When Klaus Mikaelson had left the mansion and his married life behind him._

_She crossed her hands on her lap to keep them for trembling, before closing her eyes… He was standing on the threshold of the art shop. She did not need to turn around to assure herself of that fact … She could feel his presence near her._

_Klaus stood motionless for a few minutes, while scattering the art shop that had been condemned by him many years ago. He dropped his helmet and backpack on a nearby table, before taking a few walking steps in the clean room, while pulling his motorcycle gloves off his hands._

"_Why is the art shop reopened?" She heard his deep English voice asked her._

_Carolina reopened her eyes, under her breathing spasms. She tried to articulate a sound, but her lips were frozen under a trembling compulsion. She closed her eyes while taking another deep breath into her lungs._

"_I…" She let out the sound, before straightening her upper body on the stool and continuing. "I've started art classes and Maria thought that it would not bother you if I borrowed the space to practice." She managed to articulate the sentence without stuttering._

_He finally turned his head toward her, his empty sight sliding from Carolina's head to her toes. _

_Carolina held her breath while feeling her heartbeats rising drastically in her chest. She kept her sight in his, while study his all allure of the moment: A beard was covering his facial features, and as for his hair, longer locks were falling freely on his shoulders. His clothes were dirty and ripped. _

"_I thought you would have left by now?" He asked._

"_Well you thought wrong." She responded, while breathing loudly. "I'm a married woman."_

"_And a stubborn one, I gave you six months to bail out." He added, while lowering his sight away from hers._

"_And in return I gave the same courtesy of waiting for my husband the same amount of time." She replied, slyly, tit for tat._

_He frowned while swallowing a nervous lump in his throat, before taking slow calculated steps to reach her sitting position._

_Caroline saw a couple of black post in front of her eyes. It was certainly not the time to pass out in front of him; she needed to keep her calm and assurance by all cost._

_He reached her position in front of the trestle, before slowly raising his trembling hand near the scarf wrapped around her head. _

_She closed her eyes, unable to watch, unable to deal with the mixed, contradictory feelings that this man created in her heart, mind and soul._

_He pulled on the extremity of the scarf, before removing the fabric around Carolina's head. She kept her eyes closed while hearing the pounding sound of her heart echoing in her ears._

"_You cut your hair." He softly whispered with his breath touching her face. _

_She stood motionless, while feeling a range of goosepumbs hitting her entire body all at once, but without knowing if they were out of fear of excitement?_

_Klaus slowly raised his right hand near her short locks, before enrolling one around his finger. He took an extra step, while standing in a close proximity of her sitting position, before lowering his head, closing his eyes and smelling the perfume of her hair._

_**Breathe Carolina, breathe **__… She repeated to herself, in her mind, while closing her eyes and shaking like a leaf, which he rapidly noticed._

"_I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" He stammered the words, while detaching himself of his wife, like he had been burned by a raging fire._

"_It's ok." She managed the respond, while reopening her eyes. _

_He turned his sight toward the canvas, while studying her work, before grabbing the other cupcake and biting into it._

"_Don't, please … Really it's only a draft… I'm finishing level 1 at the art school and obviously, I still know nothing about drawing and painting." She mumbled the words, while rubbing her opened palms nervously on her lap._

"_It's not that bad." Klaus responded, while studying her technic. "Did Elijah pay for the courses?" He suddenly asked, while finishing the cake in one last bite, and taking her off guard at the same time._

"_Eh … What… Well, yes, he paid for the fees and the material." She replied, while blushing. _

"_I left you with credit cards and money." He responded, with a neutral tone, while still observing her work. "Why did you ask my brother?"_

"_Because you were not present for me to ask you, and I … I refused to use either of them while you were gone." She explained._

"_When you make the outlines of your inanimate objects, you hold your brushes too strongly, which create a line that is too straight." He informed her, while changing radically the subject, before grabbing a brush in one of the color pot. "Give me your right hand, Carolina." He gently asked her, while creating a shiver in her spine at the sound of her name._

_She raised her shaking right arm to him. He made her hold the brush with her right hand, while closing his fingers on hers, before placing himself behind the stool, his chest glued to her back._

"_Let me direct your hand." He whispered the words near her right ear, the warm of his breath caressing her cheek._

_**Don't freak out, Carolina, don't freak out **__… She said silently to herself, while closing her eyes for a few seconds._

_He directed her hands near the canvas before stroking the paint softly on the outlines._

"_You see, if you paint in small touches instead of a straight line the effect is lighter, rounder, and more precise." He explained to her. _

"_Yes, I do see it." Carolina watched carefully the canvas in front of her sight, with a timid smile plastered on her lips. "I feel the difference with each stroke when you are directing me." She added, enthusiastically._

"_With that technic you'll be able to give a three dimensional effect to your painting." He added to her._

_She turned her head to the right, while being suddenly placed at a near inch of distance from his._

"_Thank you." She mumbled the words, while holding her breath, her sight fixated on his lips._

_He nodded his head, before suddenly releasing her hand from his own grip, and taking a few steps away from his wife._

"_I'll take one of the guest suites. I'm tired, we'll talk tomorrow." He informed her, while grabbing his backpack and helmet on the table, before storming out of the art shop without another word._

_Carolina buried her head in her shaking hands to help her regain her composure._

_Klaus Mikaelson, "her" husband has finally returned home …_

* * *

_**Thank you for reading "The return" guys, I'm beyond happy to be back in this story and I truly hope that you enjoyed this longer than usual chapter? **_

_**I would like to thank all of you, also, for your patience and kindness. **_

_**Until the next update, **_

_**Much love to all,**_

_**Lovely Vero**_

* * *

_**Thank you for all the anonymous reviews received, guys!**_

_**My answers are below.**_

* * *

_**Terry: **__Happy that the previous chapter had given you the chance to put your problem on the side for a short time of you reading it. I am sorry that you thought it was sad, though. This said I hope that after all this time, you're feeling better._

_**Guest: **__I could never forget this story, never. There are so many twists and surprises to come, don't ever worry about that._

_**Hey (Guest): **__Hahaha,__That's what I did, and I came back with full energy to finally continue this story._

_**Justine: **__Ma chérie, merci encore mille fois pour ta présence. Klaus a fait ce geste car dans sa tête à lui, il lui semble que c'est la chose honorable à faire. Pour son frère, pas tant que cela … Mais Klaus se dit qu'il doit la laisser reprendre sa vie en main sans lui. Et bravo à toi d'avoir compris qu'il prend aussi du recul face à sa famille. En fait, et maintenant que tu as lu le présent chapitre, tu comprendras mieux pourquoi j'ai pris cette route. (LOL) Je ressens toujours ta grande passion pour Mikael, quand je l'écris, je t'ai en tête et je souris grandement. Alors, tu vas être surprise du comment elles sauront sur le vampirisme … En faits, tu risques d'être muette sur beaucoup de choses. Mais étant une de mes lectrices tu sais que j'ai toujours plus d'un tour dans mon sac! (Je te fais un clin d'œil)._

_**Ilovetvd:**__ He left her because in his head it is the honorable thing to do. Giving her the chance to sort all things out, and furthermore, knowing what she really wants. Sure! In the future I'll try to make some more bounding with Kol and Rebekah, if it suits the chapter. Don't mix TVD serie with this fiction. This one is an alternate universe, meaning no relation with the serie at all, if not only for the characters. This said it gives me the chance to write the characters as I wish, and to bring back characters that are normally dead in the serie._

_**Sissi: **__Thank you for the encouragement; I'm bringing all of me in this fiction._

_**Ines: **__Yes, the time off has recharged my batteries, thank you, very much, for your encouragement, it's highly appreciated. _

_**Krystal Steel: **__It's so nice to know that your sisters are appreciating this storie, as much as you do, thank you, for letting me know. As for the characters, it's important for me to at least try my hardest for them to be the nearest of their true colors and soul._

_**VD: **__In my honest opinion, Kol is an under rated character in TVD/TO, and it is so sad that the producer/writers are not able to see that this character should be explored way more than what they did in the serie. Be confident (I'm winking at you), the separation of Klaus and Carolina was what will bring them together now. I've read your part about your view on the life of a writer on this site, and I applaud and appreciate so much that you've realized that it is not always an easy path._

_**Linda: **__You English is fine, sweetie, you can only learn it by practicing, never be ashamed of the effort you are making. I, myself, started at the bottom to grow each day. And as you can see I only took a bit more than a month to recharge my batteries. Thanks for the support._

_**Tammingoftheshre: **__As you can see, I came back (smile)! I am a person of integrity, when I say that I will come back, I keep my words. Now, don't be too harsh in your thinking over other writers who decided to quit a story or leave the site. To each their own road of discovery in life, the reason is maybe more deep that you could ever imagine. I know by experience that writing is a huge process of seeing the world with new eyes, sometimes it's nice, and sometimes it's hard. Yes! As you can see Klaroline will take a new direction as of now, be confident. Love you too! _

_**Emmy: **__Nice to meet you! That is one of the things that I am always trying to achieve the most, is keeping the "aura"/persona of the characters intact in my stories. I've read your entire message, and I took it so much to heart, bless you!_

_**AccolaMorgan: **__Thanks for starting to read this fiction and for the reviews that you had left, sweetie. You read it in one go, and I am always amazed and so thankful for the time that a reader gave to read my fiction, it's highly appreciated. _

_**Taming of the sh: **__You're very kind to thank me and all the writers for our time, sweetie, it's highly appreciated. To tell you the truth, I lost interests in both series too, but I still love the Originals characters so much, I just imagine them being written differently. It's a joy to write Klaroline, Kalijha and Kennett, they have this amazing chemistry both visually and on paper, and if we can't have the fist, we'll have the second option!_

_**Guest wrote: Constructive criticism isn't hate or personal attack. You are making your stories public so YOU are asking for people to review your work. Hate is unacceptable **__**but it seems that you believe that when something is not praising your work then it equals hate. If this is taking such a toll on you then maybe you shouldn't be publishing your stories.**__** I believe that you should keep writing and publishing but try to accept that people have their opinions and those opinions **__**even if it is not what you want to hear can make you better.**__** Just food for thought.**_

_My response: You know I wanted to write a detailed response to your thoughts (review), but then I stopped myself, and realized: Why should I take precious time of my life to answer to someone who obviously has an "already made" / so low opinion of the writer and person that I am? Therefore, thanks for your input; but I'm sorry to say that I don't share your reasoning, because I value myself as a better person than your own vision of me. Nevertheless, and contrary to what you believe as being true, everything was duly noted. I wish you a good continuation of your own writing on this site, because something is telling me that under your anonymous presence, you must be a writer, if not, maybe you should experience before judging? Best continuation and good luck to you._

_**If I have forgotten someone in the responses to the anonymous reviews, it was not intentional, and I thank you for it! **_


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